Total Phenolic Content, Antibacterial and Antiradical Properties of Bee Bread from Turkey

Pollen grains, honey, and lactic acid bacteria are combined to make bee bread, which serves as the hive's primary source of nutrition. This study evaluated a Turkish bee bread concerning the total phenolic content, antiradical, and antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella Typhimurium. The Folin-Ciocalteu method was applied to determine the total phenolic content (TPC) in bee bread's aqueous extracts and DPPH was used to assess the extract's radical scavenging activity. The extract's antibacterial activity on foodborne bacteria were evaluated using minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The current study determined the TPC of bee bread to be 24.45 ± 3.75 g of GAE/mg. The DPPH assay results indicated that the water-soluble extract of bee bread (1 mg/mL) had a scavenging activity of 3.40±2.99%. In this study, the bee bread extract's antibacterial effect on S. aureus, E. coli, S. Typhimurium, and B. cereus in various concentrations (6.25 to 25 mg/mL). The bee bread contains phenolic compounds and showed antiradical activity. Also, it has antibacterial activity on all of the tested bacteria. This research contributes to the knowledge of the bioactive properties of this unexplored natural material.