Figure 4. CAROTENOID RETENTION CONTENT (mg/kg BEE POLLEN) IN LOTUS BEE POLLEN STORED AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES
The degradation of thermal oxidative unstable carotenoids in bee pollen was due to their high sensitivity toward the temperature. The effect on their content as a function of time and temperature can be described by a kinetic equation similar to other foods (Vikram et al. 2005). The time dependence relationship with the reduction of carotenoid content was best described by first-order kinetics (R2 > 0.69, P < 0.05), as it decreased exponentially with time at different temperatures (Fig. 4). Similar degradation kinetic pattern of pigment was also reported for various thermal treatments for processed foods (Dermesonlouoglou et al. 2007; Scala and Crapiste 2008). Overall, results showed that the content of carotenoids can be used as a proper marker of lipid oxidation in bee pollen during storage.