Nutritional composition and quality of bee pollen collected in Minas Gerais, Brazil

The objective of this work was to assess the influence of the local floral composition on the quality of apicultural pollen collected in two apiaries, in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Five hives of Apis mellifera (L.) were installed in each apiary. The polliniferous flora in the proximity of the apiaries was identified. The pollen loads were collected from August to December, 2005. The melissopalinological analysis was carried out following the standard European method. Nutritional analyses of pollen were performed related to percentages of dry, organic and mineral matter; to raw protein; to ether extract; and to total carbohydrates. Spearman correlation was carried out between nutritional components and pollen types. In the UFV apiary, the predominant polliniferous flora presented ornamental species with arboreous habitus, and in the Mesmel apiary, it presented species of abandoned cattle pasture with herbaceous habitus. The nutritional composition of the collected pollen showed no correlation with the diversity of pollen types, however, it showed correlation with the predominance of specific pollen types. Different floral compositions influence the quality of pollen collected by bees; and its collection by bees, in various sources, is important to obtain a more balanced diet.