Effect of lactic fermentation on the physicochemical characteristics of a nutritional complement for birds prepared from bee-pollen

Abstract

The main objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of lactic fermentation on the physicochemical characteristics of a complement for birds made from bee pollen. Thus, the parameters moisture, protein, ash, pH, fiber and acid were measured, followed by a second stage where a fermentation was carried out using commercial lactic acid bacteria with a mixture of pollen and water. In addition, the effect of honey inclusion as an additional source of carbohydrate was evaluated. The samples were fermented for 15 days at 35 °C and a microbiological monitoring were performed between days 0, 8 and 15. Later, a new physicochemical characterization of the fermented product was carried out. The bee pollen showed a composition of moisture 6.77 %, fat 7.05 %, ash 1.38 %, protein 5.03 % and crude fiber in a dry and degreased base 23.21 %. On the other hand, the fermentation tests showed that a bioprocess performed with the commercial culture Choozit® with the inclusion of honey may be considered as the most attractive option for bee-pollen transformation, with the following physicochemical characteristics: moisture 49.17 %, fat 34.91 %, ash 2.51 %, protein 10.28 % and crude fiber in a dry and defatted base 41.69 %. With these results, it is intended to show the potential of bee-pollen as a valuable nutritional source for poultry feed.