Question

Which of the following statements about pollen is correct?

• A. Sporopollenin is responsible for fossilization of pollens
• B. Pollen consumption has been claimed to increase the performance of athletes and race horses.
• C. Pollen grains are not rich in nutrients.
• D. More than one option is correct

Answer 1

Answer: (D)

Pollen grains are rich in nutrients. It has become a fashion in recent years to use pollen tablets as food supplements. In western countries, a large number of pollen products in the form of tablets and syrups are available in the market. Pollen consumption has been claimed to increase the performance of athletes and race horses.
No enzyme that degrades sporopollenin is known to date. Thus, pollen grains are well preserved as fossils because of the presence of sporopollenin.