Mycotoxicological and palynological profiles of commercial brands of dried bee pollen.

Pollen is used in the human diet as a food supplement because of its high nutritional value; however, this product is prone to fungal contamination that could potentially generate toxins that are harmful to human health. This study aimed to verify the floral diversity of commercial brands of bee pollen and their mycotoxicological safety for human consumption. A total of 27 bee pollen samples were analyzed; these samples represented commercial brands, either showing an inspection seal or not, marketed in the State of Rio de Janeiro.

Characterization of monofloral honeys with multivariate analysis of their chemical profile and antioxidant activity.

Unlabelled: Various bioactive chemical constituents were quantified for 21 honey samples obtained at Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, Brazil. To evaluate their antioxidant activity, 3 different methods were used: the ferric reducing antioxidant power, the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity, and the 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazolin)-6-sulfonate (ABTS) assays. Correlations between the parameters were statistically significant (-0.