Comparative Characterization of Bee Breads from Different Provinces in Türkiye: Phenolic Content, Antioxidant Potential and Nutritional Composition

This study aimed to investigate the chemical and nutritional characteristics of bee bread (BB) samples collected from nine provinces in Türkiye. The protein and fat contents of the BB samples ranged from 17.06% to 25.43%, and from 3.7% to 6.2%. Total carbohydrate levels and energy values varied between 70.58–77.89 g/100g DW and 407.51 422.16 kcal/100g DW, respectively. Ash and moisture contents ranged from 2.15% to 3.18%, and from 16.01% to 20.83%, respectively. Water activity of BB samples changed from 0.58 to 0.63, pH from 4.81 to 5.15, and free acidity from 279.96 to 437.32 mEq/kg. The total phenolic contents (TPC) of samples ranged from 7.26 to 12.73 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) per g of dry weight (DW), while their total flavonoid contents (TFC) varied between 1.31 and 5.89 mg quercetin equivalents (QE) per g DW. Antioxidant activities were determined using 2,2′-azino bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1 picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays, indicating high radical scavenging capacity in all samples. While phenolic compounds investigated except caffeic acid, syringic acid, and quercetin were detected in all samples, p coumaric acid (3.26-11.23 μg/g DW), and p-hydroxybenzoic acid (2.93 5.14 μg/g DW) were the most dominant, followed by t-cinnamic acid (0.20–0.85 μg/g DW) (P<0.05). The fatty acid composition showed regional variability. The sample from Kayseri had the highest TPC value, while antioxidant activity was highest in the samples from Istanbul and Manisa (P<0.05). The samples from Isparta and Kayseri included all phenolic compounds, while the samples from Manisa and Kütahya showed higher unsaturated fatty acid contents. The samples from Denizli had the highest fat and energy values, while the samples from Istanbul, Isparta, Erzurum, and Kütahya had the highest protein contents (P<0.05). It has been determined that the chemical and nutritional properties of BBs vary significantly depending on the harvest region and have the potential to be used as a functional food ingredient.