Volatile Profile of 16 Unifloral Pollen Taxa Collected by Honey Bees (<i>Apis mellifera</i> L.)
Bee pollen’s aroma combined with other floral components serve various purposes, including attracting pollinators and signaling the availability of food sources. The present study aimed to comparatively analyze the volatile profiles of unifloral pollen taxa. Bee pollen loads were collected using pol...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| author | Vasilios Liolios Chrysoula Tananaki Dimitrios Kanelis Maria Anna Rodopoulou Fotini Papadopoulou |
| author_facet | Vasilios Liolios Chrysoula Tananaki Dimitrios Kanelis Maria Anna Rodopoulou Fotini Papadopoulou |
| author_sort | Vasilios Liolios |
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| description | Bee pollen’s aroma combined with other floral components serve various purposes, including attracting pollinators and signaling the availability of food sources. The present study aimed to comparatively analyze the volatile profiles of unifloral pollen taxa. Bee pollen loads were collected using pollen traps and sorted based on their botanical origin, determined by color and pollen grain morphology. The separated pollen samples were analyzed using a Purge & Trap/GC-MS system, identifying the volatile profiles of pollen from 16 plant species. The analysis revealed distinguished differences in the total volatile organic compounds (VOCs) among the various pollen species. Notably, the pollen from <i>Erica manipuliflora</i>, <i>Papaver rhoeas</i>, and <i>Sisymbrium irio</i> contained the highest number of VOCs, with 54, 51, and 42 substances detected, respectively. Certain volatile compounds appeared to correlate with increased bee visitation. For instance, 4-methyl-5-nonanone was uniquely found in <i>E. manipuliflora</i> pollen, while isothiocyanate compounds were exclusively present in species of the Brassicaceae family. Therefore, given the significant impact of VOCs on honey bees’ preferences, it is essential to consider not only the nutritional value of bee pollen when evaluating its beekeeping value, but also its aroma profile. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ed6e45e2ba974cf7aa381293e12df795 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj-art-ed6e45e2ba974cf7aa381293e12df7952025-08-20T03:35:37ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502025-06-0116766810.3390/insects16070668Volatile Profile of 16 Unifloral Pollen Taxa Collected by Honey Bees (<i>Apis mellifera</i> L.)Vasilios Liolios0Chrysoula Tananaki1Dimitrios Kanelis2Maria Anna Rodopoulou3Fotini Papadopoulou4Laboratory of Apiculture-Sericulture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 57001 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Apiculture-Sericulture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 57001 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Apiculture-Sericulture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 57001 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Apiculture-Sericulture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 57001 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Apiculture-Sericulture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 57001 Thessaloniki, GreeceBee pollen’s aroma combined with other floral components serve various purposes, including attracting pollinators and signaling the availability of food sources. The present study aimed to comparatively analyze the volatile profiles of unifloral pollen taxa. Bee pollen loads were collected using pollen traps and sorted based on their botanical origin, determined by color and pollen grain morphology. The separated pollen samples were analyzed using a Purge & Trap/GC-MS system, identifying the volatile profiles of pollen from 16 plant species. The analysis revealed distinguished differences in the total volatile organic compounds (VOCs) among the various pollen species. Notably, the pollen from <i>Erica manipuliflora</i>, <i>Papaver rhoeas</i>, and <i>Sisymbrium irio</i> contained the highest number of VOCs, with 54, 51, and 42 substances detected, respectively. Certain volatile compounds appeared to correlate with increased bee visitation. For instance, 4-methyl-5-nonanone was uniquely found in <i>E. manipuliflora</i> pollen, while isothiocyanate compounds were exclusively present in species of the Brassicaceae family. Therefore, given the significant impact of VOCs on honey bees’ preferences, it is essential to consider not only the nutritional value of bee pollen when evaluating its beekeeping value, but also its aroma profile.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/7/668bee pollenvolatile organic compoundspollinationhoney bees’ preferenceGC-MS |
| spellingShingle | Vasilios Liolios Chrysoula Tananaki Dimitrios Kanelis Maria Anna Rodopoulou Fotini Papadopoulou Volatile Profile of 16 Unifloral Pollen Taxa Collected by Honey Bees (<i>Apis mellifera</i> L.) Insects bee pollen volatile organic compounds pollination honey bees’ preference GC-MS |
| title | Volatile Profile of 16 Unifloral Pollen Taxa Collected by Honey Bees (<i>Apis mellifera</i> L.) |
| title_full | Volatile Profile of 16 Unifloral Pollen Taxa Collected by Honey Bees (<i>Apis mellifera</i> L.) |
| title_fullStr | Volatile Profile of 16 Unifloral Pollen Taxa Collected by Honey Bees (<i>Apis mellifera</i> L.) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Volatile Profile of 16 Unifloral Pollen Taxa Collected by Honey Bees (<i>Apis mellifera</i> L.) |
| title_short | Volatile Profile of 16 Unifloral Pollen Taxa Collected by Honey Bees (<i>Apis mellifera</i> L.) |
| title_sort | volatile profile of 16 unifloral pollen taxa collected by honey bees i apis mellifera i l |
| topic | bee pollen volatile organic compounds pollination honey bees’ preference GC-MS |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/7/668 |
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