Royal Jelly, Bee Brood: Composition, Health, Medicine: A Review

Royal jelly is a viscous jelly substance. It is partially soluble in water with a density of 1.1 g/mL. Its colour is whitish to yellow, the yellow colour increasing upon storage. Its odour is sour and pungent, the taste being sour and sweet. The sensory characteristics are important quality criteria. Old royal jelly, which has not been properly stored tends to be darker and a rancid taste can develop. For optimum quality it should be stored in frozen state. The viscosity varies according to water content and age it slowly becomes more viscous when stored at room temperature or in a refrigerator at 50C. The increased viscosity appears to be related to an increase in water insoluble nitrogenous compounds, together with a reduction in soluble nitrogen and free amino acids . These changes are apparently due to continued enzymatic activities and interaction between the lipid and protein fractions. There are no royal jelly international standards. However, some countries like Brazil, Bulgaria, Japan and Switzerland have established national standards. A working group of the International Honey Commission, headed by Sabatini, is working on the elaboration of an international standard. A first work in view of establishment of a standard has been published Table 1: Composition of royal jelly after