Çanakkale Bee Pollen: Diversity, Chemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Properties

Çanakkale, Türkiye, which has landed in the continents of Europe and Asia, is a settlement center with natural beauties divided by the Dardanelles Strait. This study determined the diversity, chemical composition, total antioxidant activity and antibacterial activity of fresh bee pollen obtained from 11 stations in Çanakkale in April-May 2017. The Louveaux (1978) method was modified and used to determine the botanical origin of pollen samples. It was determined that the most preferred families in pollen samples were, respectively, Brassicaceae (23.1%), Cistaceae (22.5%), Rosaceae (11.06%), Papaveraceae (5.36%), Oleaceae (7.52%) and Fabaceae (7.31%). A maximum of 47 and a minimum of 31 components were detected in the chemical composition of bee pollen extracts (BPE) by GC-MS, and it was determined that the main components varied depending on the location. Regarding the total antioxidant capacity of BPE, DPPH reduction was 100% for all locations except Yenice. Also, the antibacterial activity of BPE against <i>Escherichia coli</i> ATCC 25922, <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> ATCC 27853, and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> ATCC 29213 could not be determined. These findings showed high bee pollen diversity, chemical composition, and antioxidant capacity in the Çanakkale region. As a result, it is a natural product that can be used as a food supplement.