How much and how to store royal jelly at home

Royal jelly is a white, jelly-like substance (nutrient) that honey bees use to feed the larvae and the queen. Royal jelly is produced by nurse bees using a special gland located in the upper jaw of the insect. Its beneficial qualities can hardly be overestimated, especially in the field of cosmetology. This product is included in many dietary supplements and is used to treat skin diseases. Let’s talk further about how to store royal jelly at home.

How long to store royal jelly?

The shelf life of royal jelly, like any product, has a certain duration.

The freshly harvested product shines slightly with mother-of-pearl, has a faint aroma and a burning, sour taste. But after 1 - 1.5 hours the milk turns yellow and loses its beneficial qualities. And in order for the product to be stored for a long time (up to 2 years), it must be specially processed. After processing, royal jelly should be stored under certain conditions.

If a fresh (native) product is not sent for cold storage immediately after collection, it will be pointless to store it in its original form in the future, since it will become useless.

Special methods of processing (canning) this nutrient, and its subsequent freezing, can significantly extend the shelf life. How long royal jelly can be stored will depend on the preservation method:

mixed with honey - up to 12 months;
in the form of an alcohol solution - 12 - 14 months;
adsorbed form - 12 - 16 months;
in lyophilized form (considered much more effective than adsorbed) - about 24 months.

Bee bread dried, ground, in honeycombs

During the placement process, the flower pollen compacted into the honeycombs is held together by the saliva of insects - this is when valuable enzymes from the bees’ body enter it.
When the comb is almost full, a little space is left on top - about 1/5. It is filled with honey. In the honeycomb, pollen begins to germinate, releasing lactic acid - an excellent preservative, which, together with honey, after sealing with wax in the honeycomb, can store bee bread until spring. During the preparation process, bee bread, in addition to the already existing set of valuable components, is enriched with vitamin E, which is also called the “vitamin of youth.” Bee bread contains almost all vitamins, many essential amino acids, fatty amino acids (including Omega-3), micro and macroelements. Due to this, beebread is used for the treatment and prevention of diseases, for cosmetic purposes, and as an energy drink for athletes.

Under what conditions should it be stored?

The valuable beekeeping product should be selected from the queen cells using special glass spatulas. And after that it is immediately placed in a sterile container.

External factors (the influence of light, high temperature, air) can negatively affect the quality of milk and significantly reduce its biological value. Therefore, the collected product is immediately sent into the cold (on the refrigerator shelf or in the freezer).

The optimal storage temperature for royal jelly, according to experts, is -20°C. At the same time, the product is able to maintain quality for up to 2 years.

As a result of many years of research work, it has been proven that the duration of storage of royal jelly depends on the temperature conditions in which it is located. The storage periods are as follows:

2 months at -1°C;
6 months at temperatures from -2°C to -5°C;
12 months at -10°C;
18 - 24 months at temperatures from -15°C to -20°C.

What is the expiration date?

It must be taken into account that royal jelly is a perishable product with an extremely short shelf life. Fresh honey jelly, recently extracted from mother liquors, has an unusual pearlescent luster, pleasant aroma and distinct sourness.

The shelf life of a native (live) beekeeping product is literally calculated in hours. 60-120 minutes after its removal, the ingredients begin to degrade, as a result of which royal jelly loses most of its unique properties and becomes practically useless.

This is why beekeepers recommend consuming the newly harvested product within the first 60 minutes. However, the shelf life of honey jelly can be significantly extended if it is processed appropriately and stored in the freezer.

What to store in

Bee milk should be stored in a glass container with a tight-fitting lid. Exposure to daylight can change the composition of the product, so it is kept in opaque glass containers.

Bee milk should be transported in a bag - a refrigerator or a special thermal container.
Do not keep this substance in containers made of plexiglass or plastic. And you can leave it in its natural “packaging”, the queen cell, only for a short time (1 - 2 hours) after collection.
The use of syringe dispensers is convenient during transportation. In this case, the substance will be in a hermetically sealed container. And its quantity in milliliters will also be known exactly.
A pharmacy container made of darkened glass with a volume of 50 - 100 ml can be hermetically sealed. This allows the product to retain its biological value for up to 2 years. But it will not be possible to calculate the exact dosage of the substance.

Adsorption

For long-term storage at home, “royal jelly” is adsorbed using lactose or a mixture of lactose (98%) and glucose (2%). The milk is thoroughly ground with the adsorbent in a ratio of 1:4, placing it in a porcelain mortar. The finished product stops sticking to the walls of the container and acquires density, milky color and shine.

Then the mixture is compacted into a darkened container and sealed or granules are formed from it. Bee jelly in granules completely retains its natural basis and all its beneficial qualities. Adsorbed jelly can be prepared independently or purchased at a pharmacy kiosk.

Storage in queen cells

The natural shell of bee jelly is the queen cell, created by nature itself for its storage. One bee colony can lay from 10 to 100 queen cells at the same time. Inside the wax cell is a larva covered with royal jelly.

For storage, the queen cells are cut from the frames and deep-frozen. And to use the product, remove it from the freezer and carefully, using a small glass spatula, remove the contents of the queen cell, separating it from the larva.

Milk storage temperature

When buying milk from a farmer, it is important to understand that it is stored for a maximum of 2 days. After just 2 hours of exposure to air, it will begin to give a sour taste.

If this has already happened, then there is only one way out - using the starter, make yogurt, kefir, fermented baked milk, etc.

The approximate shelf life of homemade fresh milk is quite short. If we are talking about a refrigerator with a temperature of 1-2 degrees, then the milk will be stored there for two days. At 3-4 degrees - 36 hours, 4-6 degrees - a maximum of 24 hours. At higher temperatures, milk will remain fresh for up to 12 hours.

With honey

Using another natural beekeeping product—honey—royal jelly can be stored for 1 year. Honey here acts as a natural preservative, which, when mixed with “royal jelly” in a certain proportion, can significantly extend the shelf life, as well as expand the scope of its application.

Externally, the mixture of honey and bee jelly is practically no different from honey. Although sometimes the shade of the mixture may change towards cream. This mass does not have to be kept in the freezer. It is enough to place it on the refrigerator shelf (at a temperature of about +5°C). It is allowed to store such a mixture in a cool cellar with a temperature of up to +18°C.

The shelf life of royal jelly and honey is about 1.5 years.

Many articles have been written about how to store royal jelly, but still each beekeeper has his own secrets, thanks to which this most valuable product will not lose quality for a long time.

What is

A specific product with an adhesive structure is produced by the glands of young individuals of the bee family. Bees produce this gift of nature in two forms: thick and thinner. The nutrient in its thick state has an increased content of hormones. Therefore, it is this that the queen in the hive feeds on, regularly bringing healthy offspring.

The creamy mass has a faint odor and a sour taste. At elevated temperatures, the substance quickly oxidizes and becomes unusable. The color changes from cream to yellow. Therefore, it is important to follow the rules and storage periods.

Royal jelly contains more than 400 biological components. 100 grams of product contains about 139 calories. 95% of the substances in the composition have been studied by scientists, about 5% are not yet known. The main components include:

micro-, macroelements;
vitamins;
amino acids;
hormones;
phytoncides;
carbohydrates.

The benefits of the product have been known since ancient times. Bee milk is used in various industries. The substance strengthens the immune system, reduces the amount of cholesterol in the blood, improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, and promotes rapid muscle growth in athletes. The natural remedy is used as an additive in medicines and folk recipes. In cosmetology, it becomes a component for skin, hair, and nail care products.

How to use bee bread correctly

To get the maximum benefit from taking a valuable bee product, you must carefully follow the recommended doses, and also study possible contraindications. Bee bread has very few of them, since it is the lowest allergenic among all beekeeping products. And it is even used to treat allergies.

The main contraindication is individual intolerance. Therefore, they begin taking it with a minimum dose, carefully monitoring the body’s reaction. For some pathologies (oncology, uterine fibroids, increased anxiety, Graves' disease), it is recommended to take bee bread only after consulting a doctor. Standard dosage regimen:

Average doses for treatment – 1 tsp. shortly before or after (depending on indications) a meal. The course of treatment is 1 month, then a month break and repeat if necessary. If you are not sure about the correctness of your actions, visit an apitherapist;
For the purpose of prevention, administration is carried out in half doses, and its duration is 15 days in the spring and autumn periods. Some additionally carry out prevention in winter;
Children are given bee bread in greatly reduced doses - 0.25 of the adult norm, and a mandatory medical consultation is carried out regarding the age limits;
A portion of bee bread is dissolved in the mouth without drinking anything, and after taking it, do not drink or eat anything for another 30 minutes.

If all conditions are met, the shelf life of bee bread does not exceed 12 months. And although it can be stored longer, the medicinal properties of such a product are questioned, and the effect of taking it is minimal.

Women Health

Women are the main target audience for manufacturers of adsorbed royal jelly. By analogy with its use in nature (nutrition of the queen of the hive), it is used by women for the treatment and prevention of a number of diseases, from banal vitamin deficiency to infertility and specific gynecological ailments. Proven and recognized by official science and traditional medicine are the facts that royal jelly:

improves lactation;
reducing anxiety and stress levels;
elimination of toxicosis;
reduction of muscle spasms;
has a certain analgesic effect.

At the same time, the use of royal jelly does not entail the risk of exacerbation of chronic diseases, unless we are talking about diseases that are contraindications to the use of royal jelly. Like any other beekeeping product, royal jelly should be considered from the perspective of “benefit and harm”. How to take milk so as not to harm your health and for which diseases it is better to completely abandon the idea of treatment with this remedy - we will answer below.

Blank

How is royal jelly obtained if bees produce very little of it under natural conditions? The uterus receives the largest amount of royal jelly. For it, the bees build a special cell - the queen cell. This happens in three cases:

with a quiet change of uterus (with an existing uterus, a new one is grown to replace it);
during swarming (dividing an overgrown bee colony in two);
in case of family orphanhood (absence of the uterus).

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What to do with missing milk?

Slightly sour homemade and pasteurized milk can be used in cooking, folk medicine and cosmetology.

A sterilized drink is not suitable for these purposes, since it is not capable of turning sour due to the destruction of all beneficial microflora. This product acquires a bitter taste and a viscous consistency - which means it’s time to throw it away.

Fermented milk can be used in homemade recipes. For example:

pancakes;
pancakes;
omelette;
cottage cheese;
cheese;
barbecue marinade;
cake;
pie;
cookie;
refreshing drink;
soup.

In cosmetology, sour milk is used as a toning and whitening mask.

Properly fermented milk is valuable for the body. It is useful for those diagnosed with the following conditions:

rickets;
lack of calcium;
constipation;
atherosclerosis;
low stomach acidity;
enzyme deficiency.

Sour milk will also be useful for expectant mothers.

What does royal honey look like and its distinctive features?

Honey with royal jelly looks like a viscous whitish mixture, the color of which can vary from soft cream to yellowish. This color is explained by the composition of the mixture - light varieties are used for its preparation (most often linden or acacia). The royal jelly itself, which is white, “bleaches” honey even more, but that’s not the only thing.

Honey with royal jelly looks like a viscous whitish mixture

The main reason for the whiteness of the finished product is that to make the mixture, they take crystallized raw materials, which become lighter when stirred. Mechanical stirring also changes the consistency of the solution, giving it some “creaminess”.

Lyophilization

The best method (known today) for storing bee jelly is lyophilization (dehydration). The product is frozen, left for 3 hours at 40 degrees below zero. It is then sublimated under vacuum for two days.

It is possible to obtain a lyophilized product in another way. In this case, the milk is mixed with water and dried using a special apparatus. After lyophilization, the milk turns into a white or cream-colored powder, and its moisture content is reduced to 2%.

How to use

When you purchase royal jelly, you should check how it was prepared in order to store it appropriately.

The native (fresh) product, sold directly in queen cells, has the shortest shelf life. It is recommended for an adult to take 20-30 mg per day 30-60 minutes before meals. If it is possible to take the product directly in the apiary, then this guarantees maximum usefulness.

If you mix 1 gram of milk with 2 ml of boiled water, you can store the solution in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. It is used to lubricate mucous membranes and for inhalation.

In addition to its fresh form, royal jelly is sold in tablets, suppositories, ampoules, as part of hygiene and cosmetic products, and in honey solutions. Ampoules and tablets with a lyophilized product can be stored for the longest time at room temperature.

Bee medicine should be taken under the tongue, in the form of injections, inhalations, suppositories. It is not recommended to swallow it, since in the stomach most of the beneficial substances are destroyed by stomach acids. But if you drink alkaline water (a large spoonful of soda per glass of boiled water) 15 minutes before taking the drug, the effect of acids will be neutralized.

To achieve better health, royal jelly should be consumed after consulting a doctor. The drugs are prescribed for diseases of the heart, blood vessels, hypertension and low blood pressure (doses vary), stomach diseases, and some women's diseases. Milk-based cosmetics have a positive effect on the condition of the skin.

It is also prescribed to children of all ages, while reducing the dose to 5 mg or less per day. There is no doubt that the substance has bactericidal properties, improves appetite, has a beneficial effect on the nervous system, and restores strength. It is used in face masks to make the skin fresh and firm.

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Getting a quality product

Obtaining royal jelly is a complex and very expensive process. Certain conditions must be met:

The apiary should be located in an environmentally friendly place, away from enterprises, factories, and roads.
The area around the apiary should be provided with high-quality honey plants.
Providing the beekeeper's apiary with modern equipment for obtaining and collecting milk.
Availability of a refrigeration unit for storing the received and packaged product.
Full and unconditional compliance with sanitary and hygienic rules.

Useful properties of the product

Royal jelly is a truly unique product. This is a milky secretion produced by honey bees to feed the bee offspring and queen. Hence the name “royal jelly”.

Despite the fact that milk has not been fully studied by scientists, many of its beneficial properties are already known. Consuming the product 1–3 times a day (depending on the health and age of the person) has a healing effect on the body.

Bee jelly has a positive effect on the immune system, nervous and cardiovascular systems, and also has a beneficial effect on the skin

Nervous system. Milk is very beneficial for the nervous system. It relieves tension, eliminates migraines and insomnia, and increases performance.
The immune system. The product stimulates the immune system, has antiviral, antibacterial and antimicrobial effects.
The cardiovascular system. Bee jelly lowers cholesterol levels, activates lipid metabolism and equalizes blood pressure.
Leather. Uterine secretion improves the structure of the skin, helps smooth out fine wrinkles and restore the natural color of the skin.

There are contraindications for using frosted milk. But do not forget that, despite all the benefits, the product also has contraindications. It should not be used if:

tumors;
Addison's disease;
problems with the adrenal glands;
acute infectious diseases;
allergic reaction to bee products.