Abstract This work aimed to investigate the physicochemical and functional composition of bee pollen produced in different municipalities in the state of Rio Grande do Norte/Brazil (RN) and commercial samples produced in other places. To perform these experiments, samples of dehydrated bee pollen were crushed and subjected to physicochemical evaluation, instrumental color, fatty acid profile, evaluation of the presence of bioactive compounds [Total Phenolic Compounds (TPC), carotenoids] and antioxidant activity (reduction of DPPH radical). The pH of the pollen samples varied from 4.55 to 5.08, the protein from 19.01% to 29.71%, and the ash from 2.44% to 4.27%. All pollen samples showed a yellowish-red hue (a* and b* positive), and the pollen produced in Touros/RN/BR stood out with a lighter color (L* = 32.91). The pollen produced in Touros/RN/BR showed a higher (p < 0.05) percentage of saturated fatty acids (41.60%), whereas the pollen collected in Taipu/RN/BR had a higher percentage of monounsaturated fatty acids (7.44%). Pollen samples showed a low concentration of Total Carotenoid Content (TCC) (0.81 to 22.82 µg/g), as well as a high content of TPC (1.79 to 2.28 mg GAE/g) and antioxidant activity (1.40 to 5.70 µmol TE/g) when compared with the consulted literature. According to the obtained results, we could infer that pollen samples from different locations showed variations in physicochemical composition, coloration, fatty acid profile, TPC and antioxidant activity which reflects the geographic diversity inherent to the production sites.

Abstract Heat-moisture treatment is type of physical modification that which cause changes in the technological characteristics of the starch. One of the sources of starch that presents potential of use of this treatment is sweet potato of the variety 'Rainha' (Ipomoea batatas). Therefore, the objective of this work was extract the sweet potato starch, apply the heat-moisture treatment in different relative humidity conditions (15, 20, and 25%), and characterize the starches as to water absorption capacity, morphology and crystallinity. Starch extracted from sweet potato resulted in a product of high purity. All modified starches showed a higher water absorption capacity when compared to native starch. The morphology of the starch granules remained unchanged after the modification and the same was observed with respect to the crystallinity. However, modified 15% moisture starch showed significant changes in the amylose content, water absorption, and crystallinity, these characteristics extend the use of this starch, for use in foods.