Advances in Allergen Recognition of Bee Pollen and the Potential Application in Allergen Degradation by Microbial Fermentation

Bee pollen is collected from flowering plants and added with nectar and salivary gland secretions by honeybees. Bee pollen is abundant in various nutrients and active ingredients, and exerts excellent medicinal efficacy. However, some susceptible population developed clinical allergic symptoms due to eating bee pollen, which caused serious influences to the food safety and further application of bee pollen. Currently, the research on the allergenic mechanism of bee pollen is insufficient, which limits the utilization of bee pollen. The research advances of bee pollen allergenicity and allergens, as well as the microbial fermentation techniques for allergen degradation are summarized and discussed, aiming to provide a reference for the development of bee pollen allergen removal technology in the future.