Harvest Season Significantly Influences the Fatty Acid Composition of Bee Pollen

Saad N Al-Kahtani; El-Kazafy A Taha; Soha A Farag; Reda A Taha; Ekram A Abdou; Hatem M Mahfouz

doi:10.3390/biology10060495

Harvest Season Significantly Influences the Fatty Acid Composition of Bee Pollen

Biology (Basel). 2021 Jun 2;10(6):495. doi: 10.3390/biology10060495.

Authors

Saad N Al-Kahtani¹, El-Kazafy A Taha², Soha A Farag³, Reda A Taha⁴, Ekram A Abdou⁵, Hatem M Mahfouz⁶

Affiliations

¹ Arid Land Agriculture Department, College of Agricultural Sciences & Foods, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 400, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Economic Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt.
³ Department of Animal and Poultry Production, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tanta, Tanta 31527, Egypt.
⁴ Agricultural Research Center, Bee Research Department, Plant Protection Research Institute, Dokki, Giza, Egypt.
⁵ Agricultural Research Center, Plant Protection Research Institute, Dokki, Giza, Egypt.
⁶ Department of Plant Production, Faculty of Environmental Agricultural Sciences, Arish University, Arish 45511, Egypt.

Abstract

Seasonal variations in the fatty acid (FA) compositions of pollen loads collected from the Al-Ahsa Oasis in eastern Saudi Arabia throughout one year were determined to identify the optimal season for harvesting bee pollen rich in essential fatty acids (EFAs) and unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs). The highest values (%) of lipids, linolenic acid (C_18:3), stearic acid (C_18:0), linoleic acid (C_18:2), arachidic acid (C_20:0), the sum of the C18:0, C18:1, C18:2, and C18:3 concentrations, and EFAs were obtained from bee pollen harvested during autumn. The maximum values (%) of oleic acid (C_18:1), palmitic acid (C_16:0), UFAs, and the UFA/saturated fatty acid (SFA) ratio were found in bee pollen harvested during summer. The highest concentrations (%) of behenic acid (C_22:0), lignoceric acid (C_24:0), and SFAs were found in bee pollen harvested during winter. Bee pollen harvested during spring ranked second in its oleic, palmitic, linolenic, stearic, arachidic, behenic, and lignoceric acid concentrations and for EFAs, UFAs, and the UFA/SFA ratio. The lowest SFA concentration was found in bee pollen harvested during summer. Oleic, palmitic, and linolenic acids were the most predominant FAs found in bee pollen. It was concluded that the FA composition of bee pollen varied among the harvest seasons due to the influence of the dominant botanical origins. We recommend harvesting pollen loads during spring and summer to feed honeybee colonies during periods of scarcity and for use as a healthy, nutritious food for humans.

Keywords: Al-Ahsa; bee pollen; fatty acids; honeybee; season.