Food Science and Technology 13(3): 243-252, 2025 http://www.hrpub.org DOI: 10.13189/fst.2025.130301 Impact of Solar Drying Temperatures on Total Polyphenols and Antioxidant Activity of Bee Pollen from the Mantaro Valley, Peru Enrique Gregorio Núñez Yapias 1 , Becquer Frauberth Camayo-Lapa 1 , María Del Pilar Chávez-Pacheco 2,* , Miguel Ángel Quispe-Solano 1 , Erika Amelia De la Cruz-Porta 1 1 Faculty of Engineering, Universidad Nacional del Centro del Perú, Perú 2 Faculty of Engineering, Universidad Tecnológica del Perú, Perú Received January 30, 2025; Revised June 24, 2025; Accepted July 13, 2025 Cite This Paper in the Following Citation Styles (a): [1] Enrique Gregorio Núñez Yapias, Becker Camayo Lapa, Maria del Pilar Chavez Pacheco, Miguel Ángel Quispe Solano, Erika Amelia De la Cruz Porta , "Impact of Solar Drying Temperatures on Total Polyphenols and Antioxidant Activity of Bee Pollen from the Mantaro Valley, Peru," Food Science and Technology, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 243 - 252, 2025. DOI: 10.13189/fst.2025.130301. (b): Enrique Gregorio Núñez Yapias, Becker Camayo Lapa, Maria del Pilar Chavez Pacheco, Miguel Ángel Quispe Solano, Erika Amelia De la Cruz Porta (2025). Impact of Solar Drying Temperatures on Total Polyphenols and Antioxidant Activity of Bee Pollen from the Mantaro Valley, Peru. Food Science and Technology, 13(3), 243 - 252. DOI: 10.13189/fst.2025.130301. Copyright©2025 by authors, all rights reserved. Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License Abstract Bee pollen is a functional food highly valued for its content of bioactive compounds, especially polyphenols, known for their antioxidant properties and their role in preventing oxidative stress and chronic non- communicable diseases. However, during processing— particularly the drying stage—these compounds can be affected. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of different solar drying temperatures (40, 50, and 60 °C) on the total polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity of bee pollen collected in the Tarma region, Junín, Peru. A completely randomized experimental design was applied using analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Tukey’s test to determine significant differences among treatments. The samples were dehydrated in an automated solar dryer under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. Polyphenols were determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method, and antioxidant activity was assessed using the DPPH assay. The results showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) in both polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity as the drying temperature increased, reaching the highest values at 60 °C. These findings suggest that, contrary to some technical regulations limiting drying temperatures to 45 °C, higher temperatures may favor the release of bound polyphenols or induce structural changes in the pollen matrix that enhance their bioavailability. As a limitation, this study only evaluated polyphenols and antioxidant activity, without considering other relevant bioactive compounds. The practical implications of this research include the optimization of solar drying processes under controlled conditions to preserve and even enhance the functional properties of bee pollen, which is beneficial for both the food industry and the nutraceutical sector. Furthermore, it provides evidence that could support the revision and updating of technical standards related to pollen processing. Keywords Solar Drying, Polyphenols, Antioxidant Capacity, Drying Temperature, Bee Pollen 1. Introduction Bee pollen is recognized as a functional food due to its rich composition of nutrients and bioactive compounds, including polyphenols and antioxidants. These compounds are essential for human health, as they possess antioxidant properties that help combat oxidative stress and may contribute to the prevention of various diseases [1]. The quality of bee pollen can be affected by several