Development of Probiotic Feed from Oil Palm Pollen Fermented by Saccharomyces cerevisiae for Apis mellifera

¹ Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, East Java, Indonesia.
² Department of Animal Production Technology, Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, East Java, Indonesia.

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a functional probiotic feed based on oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) pollen fermented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae to enhance honey bee health and productivity. The experiment was arranged in a Completely Randomized Design with five substitution levels of fermented pollen (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) and four replications. Parameters measured included feed consumption, body weight, survival rate, digestive enzyme activities (protease and amylase), and immune responses (phenoloxidase activity and antibody levels). Fermentation significantly improved the nutritional composition of oil palm pollen, increasing crude protein content from 20.80% to 25.96%, and enriching essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. The 50% substitution treatment (T2) produced the most favorable biological responses across all parameters: feed intake (24.30 g/colony/day), body weight (131.50 mg), survival rate (95.60%), protease activity (0.695 U/mg), amylase activity (1.68 U/mg), phenoloxidase activity (0.63 Unit/min/mL), and antibody level (0.625 OD₄₉₀) (p < 0.05). These results indicate improved digestive efficiency and immune performance in honey bees fed with fermented pollen diets. In conclusion, the fermentation of oil palm pollen using Saccharomyces cerevisiae enhances its nutritional quality and biofunctional properties, leading to improved digestion, immune modulation, and overall colony vitality.