Exploring the physical, functional, thermal, and textural properties of bee pollen from different botanical origins of India

Bee pollen from different botanical sources (viz., coconut, coriander, rapeseed, and multi-floral) of India were first time evaluated to determine the physical, functional, thermal, and textural properties. Coriander pollen showed the highest equivalent diameter (2.72 mm), surface area (23.28 mm(2)), 1,000-pollen pellet weight (8.14 g), and porosity (66.67%) among all samples. The analysis of functional properties revealed the maximum water- and oil-holding capacity (0.72% and 2.13 g/g, respectively) and emulsion activity and stability (46.76 and 26.32%, respectively) in coconut pollen. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated the similar pattern of thermal degradation among samples on heating from 40 to 700 degrees C. Texture profile analysis (TPA) showed the maximum hardness (39.88 N) and gumminess (1,572.66 N) in coconut pollen whereas cohesiveness showed a positive correlation with springiness (r = .98) and chewiness (r = .95). Principal component analysis identified four principal components (92.02% variance) to differentiate the bee pollen and cluster analysis classified the pollen samples into four groups successfully.