Analysis of bee pollen productivity and chemical composition
Laen...
Kuupäev
2026
Kättesaadavus
Autorid
Ajakirja pealkiri
Ajakirja ISSN
Köite pealkiri
Kirjastaja
Estonian University of Life Sciences
Abstrakt
Honey bee pollen is a natural product with a rich mineral composition. The aim of the study is to analyze the factors affecting pollen productivity, its chemical composition and potential applications. Latvia, the quality of honey and beeswax has been studied, but the chemical composition of pollen is described using studies by scientists from other countries. Pollen yield from the hive and its chemical composition (Fe, Cr, Ca, K, Mg, Se) were determined over a three-year period in Latvia and Bulgaria. The foraging activity of honeybees from different hives varied, so the number of pollen samples differed. Honeybees collected pollen in pollen collectors from 9:00 to 20:00. Each pollen collector was thoroughly cleaned after each use to avoid cross-contamination of samples. Pollen was weighed with precision of 0.1 g, dried at 40 °C, and labelled with date, time, hive number, and study location. Bee pollen yield ranges from 0.5–2 kg per colony, depending on the location of collection, variety of blooming flowers, and weather conditions. This is reflected in the significantly higher average daily yields of two colonies (103.6 g and 108.8 g) compared to 2023 and 2025. The calcium content in the pollen dry matter of the average sample is 1,465 ± 146 mg kg-1 (in Latvia), 720 ± 2 mg kg-1 (in Bulgaria), potassium content 5,373 ± 537 mg kg-1 (in Latvia), 3,776 ± 377 mg kg-1 (in Bulgaria), magnesium content - 1,022 ± 102 mg kg-1 (in Latvia), 601 ± 60 mg kg-1 (in Bulgaria). The differences are explained by the duration of the plant's flowering, the variety of flowers and geographical location.
Kirjeldus
Received: February 24th, 2026 ; Accepted: April 14th, 2026 ; Published: June 10th, 2026 ; Correspondence: aleksandrs.adamovics@lbtu.lv
Märksõnad
bees, chemical composition, food, pollen, productivity, articles
Viide
Adamovičs, A., Poiša, L., Yankov, E., & Teilans, A. (2026). Analysis of bee pollen productivity and chemical composition. Estonian University of Life Sciences. https://doi.org/10.15159/AR.26.046