Title: The antimicrobial properties of bee bread

Biography:

Aycan Cinar completed her PhD on food microbiology at Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey. She has involved in Breast Cancer Campaign project as a Post-doctoral Reseacher at Brunel University, London, UK. Currently, her role is Assistant Professor at the Department of Food Engineering in Bursa Technical University. Her researches focused on antibacterial, antifungal and anticancer activity of bee products, medicinal plants and natural compounds.

Abstract

Bee bread is derived from the transformation of plant pollen by bio-chemical processes caused by the enzymes in the saliva and gastric fluid of the honeybee. The main constituents of the bee bread are carbohydrates (24-34%), proteins (14-37%), crude fibre (1-3%), lipids (6-13%) and lactic acid (2-4%). Minor components are constituted decanoic acid, gamma globulin, nucleic acids, vitamins B and C, pantothenic acid, biopterin, neopterin, acetylcholine, and reproductive hormones. The structure of pollen and bee bread is similar. However, the main difference between bee pollen and bee bread is fermentation process. Bee bread fermentation begins with a wide variety of species, including many fungi, yeast and bacteria derived from collected pollen and bee gut microbiota. The fermentation process follows a succession of the microbial community toward prevailing lactic acid producing bacterial species. Microorganisms, which provide conversion to the bee bread, produce vitamins, enzymes, lipids, substances with antimicrobial effects like bacteriocin molecules, organic acids like fatty and lactic acids. Due to its constituents and formation mechanism, bee bread has showed various degrees of inhibitory effect against the B. subtilis, S. aureus, E. coli and Salmonella. Also, bee bread inhibits the growth of a broad group of microorganisms resistant to antibiotics (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and this activity is higher for Gram positive than Gram-negative bacteria.