The application of deep eutectic solvents for protein extraction from bee bread (Perga)

Bee bread is one of the basic nutrients that bees use as a protein source and is formed as a result of the fermentation of bee pollen. In the last few years, this product has become increasingly recognized and consumed among bee products due to its functional properties. However, deep eutectic solvents (DES) have attracted great interest in recent years as promising green alternatives to replace traditional solvents due to their variable viscosity, low vapor pressure, application-specific adjustability, non-flammability and chemical stability. In this study, bee bread was extracted in 12 different DES with different hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA):hydrogen bond donor (HBD) combinations. The DES combination with the highest total protein content was determined to be choline chloride (ChCl)-urea. Then, ultrasonic extraction conditions were optimized for maximum bioactive extraction in extracts prepared with ChCl-urea. The optimum conditions were found as 31.3 %, 25 min, 35 °C for ultrasonic power, extraction time and temperature, respectively. The desirability value (d) of the model was 0.83. The extracts were analyzed for total phenolic content, total protein content, individual polyphenolics, individual amino acids and individual vitamins as well as antimicrobial and antioxidant activity tests. According to the results, total protein, total individual amino acids and total individual phenolics were higher in the extracts obtained with ChCl-urea compared to the extract prepared with conventional solvent (ethanol). In conclusion, all these findings showed that ChCl-urea combination can be an alternative to ethanol depending on the structural characteristics of the target compounds to be extracted from bee bread.