Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXIII
Written by Monica ENACHE, Larisa ANGHEL
Food supplements are marketed in large numbers in Romania at present, they are the products of a dynamic and profitable industry. Bee pollen is a food supplement with variable composition and properties, reflecting the floral biodiversity used as a source. This product is collected for human use and at the same time it is indispensable for the survival of bee colonies. In the present work fresh bee pollen samples were obtained from two commercial sources in Bucharest (CS1 and CS2) and pellets were sorted by colour and analysed microscopically on unacetolised fresh mounts, one pellet at a time using an optical microscope (magnification 400×; 1000×). The colour of pollen pellets was variable, in the first sample (CS1) there were for example: white (Pinaceae – Pinus sp.), light yellow (Rosaceae – Malus sp.), lemon (Brassicaceae – Brassica sp.), orange (Asteraceae – Taraxacum officinale), firebrick (Geraniaceae – Geranium sp.) and black (Fabaceae – Trifolium pratense) pellets compared to the second sample (CS2) which contained only yellow and orange shades, for example: lemon (Brassicaceae – Brassica sp.), pale yellow (Cucurbitaceae – Cucumis sativus), orange (Asteraceae – Taraxacum officinale).
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