Protein Content and Amino Acids Compositon of Bee-collected Pollen Originating from Poland, South Korea and China

The objective of the study was to determine the crude protein content and amino acid composition in bee-collected pollen from selected areas of Poland, South Korea and China. A total of 27 samples of pollen were examined after collection by bees. The dry substance, crude protein and amino acids were investigated in the study material. Amino acids were determined by ion exchange chromatography using of an Automatic Amino Acid Analyser (Pharmacia LKB Alpha Plus) after the protein in the study material had been hydrolysed. As the study showed, regardless of which part of the world it comes from, be-collected pollen contains high content of such amino acids as: glutamic acid, proline, aspartic acid, leucine and lysine. These amino acids account for about 50% of the total amino acids. Strong fluctuations were observed between the samples in terms of the crude protein content and amino acids composition, which may have been due to their various botanical origin. Compared to the pollen from Korea, the pollen from China contained a higher concentration of crude protein and most of the determined amino acids, except for aspartic acid and arginine, whose concentration did not differ in the three compared countries. Essential amino acids accounted for about 37% of the total amino acids in bee-collected pollen. The pollen from Poland contained higher content (by about 3%) of essential amino acids compared to that from Korea and China. Because it is rich in highly nutritious proteins (CS=80%, EAAI=110%), honeybee-collected pollen is recommended as a dietary supplement.