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Royal jelly, a honey bee secretion, plays a critical role in caste determination in honey bees because it serves as the source of nutrition for young larvae destined to become queens. It is also fed to adult queens. Royal jelly possesses numerous functional properties and thus has been used as a medication, health food, and cosmetic in many countri...
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Royal Jelly is a material with a complex chemical structure formed by the young nurse honey bees as larva food. Royal jelly (RJ) has a complex composition of proteins, amino acids, sterols, phenols, sugars, minerals and other components. It has significant commercial requirement and today it is utilized in various sectors, such as pharmaceutical, f...
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... We improved the previous rearing techniques used for A. m. ligustica queens [15,18]. A beaker filled with beeswax was placed in a water bath and heated to approximately 70 • C to ensure thorough melting of the beeswax. ...
... We improved the previous rearing techniques used for A. m. ligustica queens [15,18]. A beaker filled with beeswax was placed in a water bath and heated to approximately 70 °C to ensure thorough melting of the beeswax. ...
The honey bee Apis cerana cerana (A. c. cerana), a subspecies of Apis cerana, is endemic in China and possesses a valuable ecological niche. Understanding the ways to protect this honey bee’s populations is crucial, but this topic has been understudied. For the efficient utilization of beekeeping and pollination, there is a need to explore its biology and management practices. In light of this, the current study was carried out to investigate the ontogeny and dietary differences in the queen and worker castes of the A. c. cerana honey bee. This article presents, supplemented by reference images, a detailed description of the life history of A. c. cerana queens and workers. Additionally, this study investigated the nutritional differences between royal jelly (RJ) and worker jelly (WJ) at various larval ages. The contents of the moisture, crude protein, and amino acids in RJ and WJ were determined via freeze drying, Kjeldahl nitrogen determination, and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography. The results highlight significant variations in the moisture content, crude protein concentration, and amino acid concentration between RJ and WJ. The results offer theoretical support for ex situ artificial rearing practices of A. c. cerana.
... Moreover, non-esterified forms of long-chain fatty acids (18 or more carbon atoms in the chain) have the maximum ability to bind heavy metals (Blanco et al., 2019;Mischenko et al., 2019). The binding of fatty acids to heavy metals occurs in honey bees' wax glands (Hu et al., 2017). At the same time, anionic forms of fatty acids are formed (Blanco et al., 2019). ...
In the literature, there is only fragmentary data on the content of heavy metals and certain forms of fatty acids in freshly built bee combs (tongues) in different territories of the Carpathian region. The work aimed to determine the transfer coefficients of heavy metals from bee combs and abdominal tissues to bee combs and the fatty acid content of total lipids in freshly built bee combs (tongues) in different territories of the Carpathian region. Experimental apiaries of clinically healthy honey bees of the Carpathian breed were selected based on private apiary farms in the mountain, foothills, and forest-steppe territories of the Lviv region. The content of heavy metals in bee pollen, abdominal tissues of honey bees, and freshly built bee combs were studied to determine the transition coefficients. The content of heavy metals in selected samples of bee pollen, abdominal tissues of honey bees, and freshly built bee combs was determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer, and the fatty acids of total lipids in the combs were determined using a gas-liquid chromatographic apparatus. It was established that in the direction from the mountain to the foothills and further to the forest-steppe territories of the Carpathian region, the content of Ferrum, Zinc, Cuprum, Cobalt, Chromium, Nicol, Plumbum, and Cadmium in bee pollen (pollen), tissues of the abdomen of honey bees and in freshly built bee combs increases (tongues). In the above direction, the transfer coefficients of Ferrum, Zinc, Copper, Chromium, Nicol, and especially Plumbum and Cadmium from bee pollen to bee combs increase strongly; Ferrum, Zinc, Cobalt, Nicol and especially Lead and Cadmium from abdominal tissues. The total content of esterified forms of fatty acids in bee combs (tongues) obtained from beehives located in the foothills and especially the forest-steppe area of the Carpathian region is lower than in combs selected from beehives located in the mountainous area. The content of fatty acids of total lipids, which are characterized by antimicrobial activity, in freshly built bee combs (tongues) obtained from beehives located in the foothills and forest-steppe areas of the Carpathian region, compared to combs selected from beehives located in the mountainous area, is lower. Freshly built bee combs (tongues) can be bioindicators of the ecological state of the environment. In the future, it is necessary to establish the wax productivity of worker bees in different territories of the Carpathian region and search for ways to obtain high-quality honey in the above region.
... RJ production in the apiaries adhered to standard protocols [24]. This procedure outlines the steps involved in producing royal jelly, from colony selection to storage, ensuring the highest-quality product for consumers: (a) Selection of colonies: The production of royal jelly (RJ) starts with the careful selection of robust and productive bee (Apis mellifera ligustica) colonies. ...
Royal jelly is a substance secreted by the hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands of nurse honey bees, serving as crucial nutritional source for young larvae, queen honey bees, and also valuable product for humans. In this study, the effect of the feed supplements on the nutritional composition and qualities of royal jelly was investigated. Two types of royal jelly samples were acquired: one from honey bees fed with sugar syrup as a feed supplement and the other from honey bees fed with honey. The production, harvesting, and storage of all royal jelly samples followed standard procedures. Parameters for quality assessment and nutritional value, including stable carbon isotopic ratio, moisture content, 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA) level, carbohydrate composition, amino acid composition, and mineral contents, were analyzed. The results revealed that despite variability in moisture content and carbohydrate composition, fructose was lower (2.6 and 4.1 g/100 g as is for sugar-fed and honey-fed royal jelly, respectively) and sucrose was higher (7.5 and 2.7 g/100 g as is for sugar-fed and honey-fed royal jelly, respectively) in the sugar-fed group. The stable isotope ratio (−16.4608‰ for sugar-fed and −21.9304‰ for honey-fed royal jelly) clearly distinguished the two groups. 10-HDA, amino acid composition, and total protein levels were not significantly different. Certain minerals, such as potassium, iron, magnesium, manganese, and phosphorus were higher in the honey-fed group. Hierarchical analysis based on moisture, sugar composition, 10-HDA, and stable carbon isotopes categorized the samples into two distinct groups. This study demonstrated that the feed source could affect the nutritional quality of royal jelly.
... Through the utilization of AI, scientists can expedite the exploration, analysis, and utilization of honey bee peptides, propelling further understanding of bee biology, health, and ecological relationships [121][122][123]. Moreover, utilizing AI-driven approaches enhances traditional experimental methods by providing novel perspectives and predictive abilities for peptide-based research, not only in apiculture but also in agriculture and biomedicine [119,121,[124][125][126]. • Advanced techniques like generative adversarial networks (GANs) and reinforcement learning have revolutionized the field of structure prediction. ...
Honey is a natural product that is used by a large number of people because of its distinctive
compositional constituents, which have a considerable impact on its market value. The distinctive
combination of amino acids and sugars found in honey’s composition, along with its peptide content,
could potentially provide several benefits to human health. During the past few years, cutting-
edge techniques have been developed and used for the purpose of investigating, identifying, and
characterizing peptides that are produced from honey bees. Therefore, the purpose of this review
is to examine current trends and technological advancements in the study of honey bee-derived
peptides, focusing on innovative and cutting-edge methods. Furthermore, this review explores
various attributes of honey and its components, including the honey bee-derived peptide defensin-1.
In addition, this review investigates various methods for separating and purifying peptides, as well
as the factors that affect these methods. Additionally, defensin-1, a peptide produced by honey
bees, is discussed along with its antioxidant and antimicrobial capabilities. In addition, this review
focuses on cutting-edge and innovative omic methods used to study honey bee peptides, as well
as the significance of artificial intelligence tools in their investigation. Consequently, the review
paper delves into various significant obstacles faced by researchers and scientists studying honey
bee peptides, while also offering an extensive range of fascinating opportunities and possibilities for
future research for those interested in groundbreaking discoveries in this area.
... Royal jelly (RJ) is a beehive product highly prized in many countries due to its consistent production, even in challenging environmental conditions, and high market value, making it a profitable asset for beekeepers. Produced by the mandibular and hypopharyngeal (cephalic) glands of young worker bees of Apis mellifera L., this creamy, viscous, white, and highly acidic substance has the unique ability to transform an ordinary female worker larva into a queen bee with an extended lifespan and egg-laying capabilities [1]. RJ is also widely used as a dietary supplement and pharmaceutical product, with extensive research demonstrating its positive effects on the immune system, metabolism, vascular and glandular function, skin health, heart function, as well as cholesterol and lipid control in humans [2][3][4][5]. ...
... The successful production of high-yield RJ requires honeybee colonies with a queen of good quality, a large population, and appropriate temperatures [1,28]. Food reserves, however, restrict the production of RJ and the acceptance of artificial queen cells by honeybee workers, as illustrated in Figure 1. were harvested from three beehives every 15 days, without any supplementary feeding, from spring to autumn. ...
... The successful production of high-yield RJ requires honeybee colonies with a queen of good quality, a large population, and appropriate temperatures [1,28]. Food reserves, however, restrict the production of RJ and the acceptance of artificial queen cells by honeybee workers, as illustrated in Figure 1. ...
Royal jelly is a secretion produced from the hypopharyngeal glands of worker bees, which requires significant pollen reserves to stimulate gland secretion. The natural sources of food available to the hive during beekeeping season can greatly affect the quantity and quality of produced royal jelly. In this study, samples of royal jelly were collected throughout the beekeeping season, and their physical and chemical characteristics were analyzed to understand how natural variations in bee diet affect royal jelly production. Before each sample collection, the bees’ food reserves were removed from the experimental colonies so that the royal jelly was produced solely from natural sources. The results showed that the production was significantly lower during the summer months compared with spring and autumn. Additionally, the moisture, protein, fructose, and glucose content of fresh royal jelly also showed significant changes in the summer, and all physical and chemical characteristics decreased when the fresh samples were converted into dry matter. It seems that the quality of pollen entering the hives has a direct impact on the physical and chemical properties of the final product, highlighting the crucial role of available resources in stimulating bees to produce royal jelly.
... Royal jelly (RJ) is a substance secreted from the hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands of young worker (5-15 days old nurse) honey bees [1]. It plays a crucial role in the caste determination of honey bees [2]. ...
Young workers, i.e., nurse honey bees, synthesize and secrete royal jelly to feed the brood and queen. Since royal jelly is a protein-rich substance, the quality of royal jelly may be influenced by the consumption of feed with varying protein content. We tested whether honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies compensates for the nutritional quality to produce royal jelly by feeding different pollen patties made of oak or rapeseed pollen. After harvesting royal jelly, we examined the chemical composition including proximate nutrients, amino acids, proteins, fatty acids, and minerals of royal jelly samples obtained from two treatments. The results revealed that pollen patties with different nutritional levels did not influence the nutritional composition except for the crude fat. The levels of 10-HDA, which serves as an indicator of the royal jelly quality, showed no significant difference between the oak and rapeseed treatments, with values of 1.9 and 2.1 g/100 g, respectively. However, we found some differences in the protein intensity, particularly the MRJP3 precursor, MRJP3-like, and glucose oxidase. This study suggests that honey bees may have mechanisms to compensate for nutritional standards to meet the brood’s and queen’s nutritional requirements during bee pollen collection, preserving bee bread and royal jelly secretion.
... Royal jelly (RJ) is a yellowish, creamy, and acidic substance secreted by the mandibular and hypopharyngeal glands of young worker bees, which contains lipids, protein, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, phenols [1]. Lipids are one of the most important components of RJ, accounting for 3 %-8% of fresh RJ and 8 %-19 % of lyophilized RJ [2]. ...
... RJFA extracts by UAE and SE analysis were performed by an Agilent 7000C Triple Quad GC-MS (Agilent, CA, USA) system with an Agilent HP-5 column (30 m × 0.25 mm × 0.25 μm) as previously reported [1]. Briefly, 100 mg samples were dissolved in 200 μL 0.01 mol/L HCl, and then 25 mL ethanol was added. ...
... Extraction yield is measured as the percentage of extracted components to the total raw materials, providing a direct measure of extraction quantity [22]. In RJ, 10-HDA stands as the unique component, comprising 50 %-60 % of the total FA content [1]. In this study, extraction yield and 10-HDA content were used as the indicators to assess the efficiency of RJFA extraction. ...
Fatty acids are the key active components in royal jelly (RJ) with various biological activities. In this study, a novel ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) method was established to extract fatty acids from RJ and their structural and antioxidant property were further evaluated. The optimum extraction conditions were as follows: liquid-to-solid ratio of 10:1, ultrasonic power of 450 W and ultrasonic duration of 20 min, resulting in a better extraction yield of 16.48 % and 10-hydroxy-2(E)-decenoic acid (10-HDA) content of 4.12 %. Furthermore, compared with the solvent extraction method, the antioxidant activity of extract by ultrasound was enhanced significantly by at least 448 %. GC–MS showed that ultrasound didn’t change the chemical composition of fatty acids, while it significantly increased the content of fatty acids. SEM image illustrated that extracts by UAE showed a rougher, looser microstructure compared to the solvent method. Overall, UAE is a promising method to obtain fatty acids in RJ with high efficiency.
... In the upper body, frames containing larvae and cell bar frame with cups were placed to produce royal jelly after grafting. Royal jelly was produced using grafting method as described by Hu et al. [23]. During the test period of royal jelly production, the hives were visited every three days and the cell bar frames containing royal jelly were removed and the next day, new frames were introduced again at the same time. ...
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of organic zinc and selenium on the antioxidant indices, acini size, royal jelly production and relative expression of hsp90 and trx genes in honey bees under heat stress. Thirty colonies were exposed to heat stress (40°C for at least 4 hours per day) and randomly divided into six treatments. Treatments were syrup with: C) the control group receiving the syrup without additives, T1: 2500 µg /L of zinc, T2: 5000 µg /L of zinc, T3: 500 µg /L selenium and T4: 1000 µg /L selenium. Organic zinc increased (P < 0.05), but selenium supplementation decreased (P < 0.05) the activities of thioredoxin peroxidase and catalase. Organic zinc and selenium supplements decreased (P < 0.05), the relative gene expression of hsp90 , but increased (P < 0.05) gene expression of trx as compared to the control. The lowest acini size was observed in C and the greatest acini size was observed in T2 (P < 0.05). Acini size increased (P < 0.05) as dose of organic zinc increased, but not for selenium doses. It was concluded that supplementation of zinc at dose of 5000 µg /L and selenium at dose of 500 µg /L has beneficial effects on producing royal jelly colonies.
... The determination of these pesticides in royal jelly and propolis (see Supplementary Material, Table 1S) has been mainly performed by solvent extraction (SE; Balayannis, 2001;Chen et al., 2009;Hu et al., 2019;Karazafiris, Menkissoglu-Spiroudi, & Thrasyvoulou, 2008;Karazafiris et al., 2022;Simsek, Kuzukiran, Yurdakok-Dikmen, Snoj, & Filazi, 2020;Simsek et al., 2021;Š kerl, Kmecl, & Gregorc, 2010;Umsza-Guez, Silva-Beltrán, Machado, & Balderrama-Carmona, 2021;Wang et al., 2020), solid phase extraction (SPE; Chen et al., 2009;González-Martín et al., 2017;Hu et al., 2019;Karazafiris et al., 2008Karazafiris et al., , 2022Martínez-Domínguez, Romero-González, & Garrido-Frenich, 2014;Notardonato, Avino, Cinelli, & Russo, 2016;Simsek et al., 2020Simsek et al., , 2021Wang et al., 2020), or modified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) methods (Böhme, Bischoff, Zebitz, Rosenkranz, & Wallner, 2019;Gérez, Pérez-Parada, Cesio, & Heinzen, 2017;Oellig, 2016;Zheng et al., 2018), followed by gas chromatography (GC) with mass spectrometry or tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS or GC-MS/MS), electron capture (ECD), nitrogen phosphorus (NPD) and flame ionization/photometric (FID or FPD) detectors (see Supplementary Material, Table 1S). Matrix-solid phase dispersion has been selected in several publications as sample treatment for propolis analysis (Acosta-Tejada, Medina-Peralta, Moguel-Ordóñez, & Muñoz-Rodríguez, 2011;Medina-Dzul, Muñoz-Rodríguez, Moguel-Ordoñez, & Carrera-Figueiras, 2014;Pareja et al., 2011;Pérez-Parada et al., 2011), while a dilute and shoot procedure was only once employed in royal jelly (Martínez-Domínguez, Romero-González, & Garrido Frenich, 2016). ...
... The determination of these pesticides in royal jelly and propolis (see Supplementary Material, Table 1S) has been mainly performed by solvent extraction (SE; Balayannis, 2001;Chen et al., 2009;Hu et al., 2019;Karazafiris, Menkissoglu-Spiroudi, & Thrasyvoulou, 2008;Karazafiris et al., 2022;Simsek, Kuzukiran, Yurdakok-Dikmen, Snoj, & Filazi, 2020;Simsek et al., 2021;Š kerl, Kmecl, & Gregorc, 2010;Umsza-Guez, Silva-Beltrán, Machado, & Balderrama-Carmona, 2021;Wang et al., 2020), solid phase extraction (SPE; Chen et al., 2009;González-Martín et al., 2017;Hu et al., 2019;Karazafiris et al., 2008Karazafiris et al., , 2022Martínez-Domínguez, Romero-González, & Garrido-Frenich, 2014;Notardonato, Avino, Cinelli, & Russo, 2016;Simsek et al., 2020Simsek et al., , 2021Wang et al., 2020), or modified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) methods (Böhme, Bischoff, Zebitz, Rosenkranz, & Wallner, 2019;Gérez, Pérez-Parada, Cesio, & Heinzen, 2017;Oellig, 2016;Zheng et al., 2018), followed by gas chromatography (GC) with mass spectrometry or tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS or GC-MS/MS), electron capture (ECD), nitrogen phosphorus (NPD) and flame ionization/photometric (FID or FPD) detectors (see Supplementary Material, Table 1S). Matrix-solid phase dispersion has been selected in several publications as sample treatment for propolis analysis (Acosta-Tejada, Medina-Peralta, Moguel-Ordóñez, & Muñoz-Rodríguez, 2011;Medina-Dzul, Muñoz-Rodríguez, Moguel-Ordoñez, & Carrera-Figueiras, 2014;Pareja et al., 2011;Pérez-Parada et al., 2011), while a dilute and shoot procedure was only once employed in royal jelly (Martínez-Domínguez, Romero-González, & Garrido Frenich, 2016). ...
... Various formulations, including Apistan ® (containing τ-fluvalinate as the active ingredient), Perizin ® (containing coumaphos), Check-Mite TM (containing coumaphos), Bayvarol ® (containing flumethrin) and Apiguard ® (containing thymol), have gained approval in numerous European countries [53]. Another widely used acaricide in beehives is amitraz, which has attracted interest due to its degradation products, particularly 2,4-dimethylaniline [30]. However, it is important to note that while some substances like amitraz have received approval in specific countries, others like malathion have not been approved at all [10]. ...
... Since royal jelly is a rather polar matrix with a high-water content, an acetonitrile-water mixture was once again selected in other studies as the appropriate solvent for diluting the sample. The matrix was dissolved using a mixture of acetonitrile and water (1:1, v/v) and then passed through a C 18 cartridge [30,78]. Water and methanol were used for cartridge conditioning, while ethyl acetate and hexane were employed for elution. ...
... The detection of nitrofurans and derived compounds has also involved the use of SPE approaches. Royal jelly was acidified with hydrochloric acid and trifluoroacetic acid [30]. The pH was then adjusted to 7.5 by adding 1M NaOH, and the supernatant was passed through a polymeric cartridge. ...
