Characterization of Relevant Contaminants in Bee Pollen

In recent times, the increasing preference of consumers towards natural and minimally processed superfoods has triggered a sudden growth in the production and consumption of bee pollen. The increasing popularity of bee pollen has been driven by a combination of its functional and nutraceutical properties, health benefits, and applications as food supplement and feed. Nonetheless, the absence of globally shared quality standards for its production and distribution, coupled with its probable exposure to contaminants such as mycotoxins and pesticides, has lately raised numerous concerns regarding the safety of bee pollen. These uncertainties are accentuated by the lack of standardized quality control procedures for this beekeeping product. To deal with this challenge, the present work was divided into three distinct phases.