Bee Pollen as Functional Food: Insights into Its Composition and Therapeutic Properties
Asmae El Ghouizi,
Meryem Bakour,
Hassan Laaroussi,
Driss Ousaaid,
Naoual El Menyiy,
Christophe Hano,
Badiaa Lyoussi
Affiliations
Asmae El Ghouizi
Laboratory of Natural Substances, Pharmacology, Environment, Modeling, Health, and Quality of Life, Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz, University Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, Fez 30000, Morocco
Meryem Bakour
Laboratory of Natural Substances, Pharmacology, Environment, Modeling, Health, and Quality of Life, Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz, University Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, Fez 30000, Morocco
Hassan Laaroussi
Laboratory of Natural Substances, Pharmacology, Environment, Modeling, Health, and Quality of Life, Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz, University Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, Fez 30000, Morocco
Driss Ousaaid
Laboratory of Natural Substances, Pharmacology, Environment, Modeling, Health, and Quality of Life, Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz, University Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, Fez 30000, Morocco
Naoual El Menyiy
Laboratory of Pharmacology, National Agency of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Taounate 34025, Morocco
Christophe Hano
Department of Chemical Biology, Eure et Loir Campus, University of Orleans, 28000 Chartres, France
Badiaa Lyoussi
Laboratory of Natural Substances, Pharmacology, Environment, Modeling, Health, and Quality of Life, Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz, University Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, Fez 30000, Morocco
Bee pollen is a hive product made up of flower pollen grains, nectar, and bee salivary secretions that beekeepers can collect without damaging the hive. Bee pollen, also called bee-collected pollen, contains a wide range of nutritious elements, including proteins, carbs, lipids, and dietary fibers, as well as bioactive micronutrients including vitamins, minerals, phenolic, and volatile compounds. Because of this composition of high quality, this product has been gaining prominence as a functional food, and studies have been conducted to show and establish its therapeutic potential for medical and food applications. In this context, this work aimed to provide a meticulous summary of the most relevant data about bee pollen, its composition—especially the phenolic compounds—and its biological and/or therapeutic properties as well as the involved molecular pathways.
