Comparison of phenolic acid and flavonoid contents of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) bee pollen and bee bread taken from the same hives

In this study, individual phenolic compounds in sunflower bee pollen and bee bread taken from the same hives were compared. Quantitatively individual phenolic compound content analyses were performed with high pressure liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). Eight different phenolic compounds analyzed in bee pollen and bee bread samples, namely caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, cinnamic acid, rutin, naringenin, quercetin, and kaempferol. The amounts of phenolic compounds detected in the samples in bee pollen and bee bread are as follows, respectively: caffeic acid: 4.10 ± 0.63 mg/kg, 2.07 ± 0.38 mg/kg; p-coumaric acid: 9.52 ± 1.21 mg/kg, 4.26 ± 0.46 mg/kg; ferulic acid: 0.24 ± 0.03 mg/kg, 5.48 ± 0.14 mg/kg; cinnamic acid: 0.00 mg/kg, 6.19 ± 0.92 mg/kg; rutin: 132.09 ± 1.13 mg/kg, 63.47 ± 3.11; naringenin: 82.91 ± 3.59 mg/kg, 329.11 ± 2.95 mg/kg; quercetin: 460.81 ± 14.23 mg/kg, 936.14 ± 12.21 mg/kg; kaempferol: 2.90 ± 0.31 mg/kg, 183.80 ± 4.24 mg/kg. Differences in the amounts of individual phenolic compounds in bee pollen and bee bread are thought to be due to the conversion of phenolic compounds to aglycone forms by enzymes of bacteria and/or secretions of bees. KEY WORDS: Phenolic compounds, Bee pollen, Bee bread, Sunflower, Türkiye Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2025, 39(9), 1675-1681. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v39i9.2