PROTEOMIC ANALYSIS AND ANTIOXIDANT EVALUATION OF ULTRASOUND-ASSISTED POLLEN EXTRACTS

The identification of compounds with antioxidant activity is considered to be of great interest to both the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Bee products such as pollen, propolis, beeswax and royal jelly have long been used for their medicinal and health-enhancing properties. Bee pollen is a raw product rich in secondary metabolites and high concentrations of phytochemicals and nutrients. Protein is contained in the pollen matrix at an average of 22.7% and its content varies among plant species. The present study aimed to analyze the protein content of linden and hawthorn pollen. After a delipidation step, pollen samples were extracted using ultrasonic energy and three different extraction buffers. After quantification by the Bradford colorimetric method, protein extracts were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Finally, we evaluated the total antioxidant capacity of pollen extracts using the iron(III) reduced antioxidant capacity assay.