Honey bees and their brood: a potentially valuable resource of food, worthy of greater appreciation and scientific attention

Despite the consumption of bee brood in several parts of the world, particularly in the tropical areas, the practice has received comparatively little attention. We have reviewed all the available information on the nutrient composition and functional properties of different developmental stages of honey bee workers belonging to different species and subspecies. Noticing the competent nutrient composition of, in particular, honey bee brood, pupae, and prepupae, we suggest that they could be a potential source of human nutrition as well as animal feed. Moreover, drone brood is an ideal candidate for use as a food or as food ingredient. However, to analyze the functional properties of different honey bee species remains a task for further analysis.

Evaluation of the Healing Effect of Ointments Based on Bee Products on Cutaneous Lesions in Wistar Rats

The wound-healing capacity of ointments based on bee products was investigated in vivo on three experimental models of incision, excision and heat burn. For this purpose, four ointments were prepared with propolis, honey, apilarnil (drone brood homogenate) and a mixture of these three apitherapy products. The ointments were applied topically for 21 days. Clinical and macroscopic evaluation was performed throughout the experiment, with the recording of the re-epithelialization period and determination of the wound contraction rate on days 6 and 9. The histopathological examination was performed on days 1, 3, 12 and 21 of the treatment. The topical formulations were also characterized from a rheological point of view in order to verify their stability. HPLC analysis of propolis revealed the presence of phenolic compounds, particularly ferulic acid and p-coumaric which were found in high amounts. All ointments had beneficial effects on wound contraction and the re-epithelialization period, but the most significant result, both macroscopically and especially in terms of histological architecture, was presented by the ointment that contains all three apitherapy products, due to their synergistic effect.

The influence of cultivation of drone larvae on honey productivity of bee colonies

Homogenate is a source of a huge amount of biologically active substances. However, it is produced in a small number of apiaries, since the cultivation of drone brood negatively affects honey productivity. This paper aimed to study the influence of rearing drone larvae on the power and honey productivity of bee colonies since these issues are not widely addressed in scientific literature. Three groups (control, experimental 1, and experimental 2) of 10 bee colonies were formed by the method of pairs-analogs. One brood frame was placed in the bee colonies of the first experimental group, and two frames were placed in the colonies of the second experimental group. The brood frames were placed on June 12, the clipping was done on June 30, and the honey was collected on July 12. The power of colonies was taken into account after wintering (in March) and at the end of the pre-wintering season (in November). As a result of the research, it was revealed that the homogenate of drone brood can be obtained in apiaries of the Primorsky Krai. It was proved that when adding one brood frame to obtain a homogenate, the main production of the apiary - honey, does not decrease, and a negative effect on honey productivity was observed when adding the second brood frame.

Influence of technology on the quality indicators of the composition of drone brood and royal jelly

Drone brood homogenate and compositions based on it are gaining popularity as functional food products and biologically active food additives. It has antioxidant, androgenic, anabolic, sedative, antidepressant, immunotropic, cosmetic and other properties. Royal jelly and drone brood have a pronounced biological activity, as they contain a large amount of decenoic acids, sulfhydryl groups, proteins, peptides and other biologically active substances. The possibility of expanding the spectrum of biological activity determines the relevance of developing a product containing a composition of drone brood and royal jelly. A significant superiority of the safety of biologically active substances in adsorbed drone brood and royal jelly in comparison with lyophilized ones was shown, which indicates the preferred method of stabilizing the combined product. The purpose of the work was to compare two technological methods for preparing a combined product. The first method consisted in the joint adsorption of royal jelly and drone brood, and the second - in separate adsorption and drying, followed by joint dry granulation of the components. It is shown that the differences in the physicochemical characteristics of products obtained by different methods are insignificant. The composition has intermediate values of physicochemical indicators between drone brood and royal jelly.

Stabilization methods and biochemical parameters of drone brood

The range of practical use of bee products is constantly expanding. Among the large assortment of these products, in recent years, drone brood larvae have received great attention, which can be obtained without harming the bee colony during the active period of the beekeeping season. Drone brood contains a complex of biologically active substances, including unique fatty acids, vitamins, essential amino acids, steroid hormones. The content in the drone brood of a large amount of nutritious and biologically active components serves as the basis for its inclusion in the diet of animal feeding and the diet of people in order to improve the body’s health. Drone brood homogenate is a new beekeeping product, which is a biomass obtained from homogenized drone larvae. This product is a biologically active raw material with a rich composition necessary for the normal functioning of the body. Once removed from the hive, the brood must be stabilized for further use. In this work, the following methods of stabilization of the drone brood homogenate have been studied: freezing, adsorption using a lactose-glucose adsorbent, and lyophilization. The use of stabilization of drone brood by means of freeze-drying (freeze-drying) allows preserving some biologically active compounds in the brood. But freeze-dried products actively adsorb moisture from the environment, which stimulates the development of reactions that lead to a decrease in the quality of the product. Adsorption, in comparison with freeze drying, makes it possible to better preserve biologically active substances in a homogenate obtained from drone larvae. Stabilization of drone brood by freezing provided the most complete fixation of the most important components of drone brood in contrast to other stabilization methods.

Preclinical safety evaluation of drone brood homogenate and justification of pharmacological action

The problem of studying the metabolic syndrome, as well as its integration into other pathological processes, despite large-scale research, remains relevant. The complexity of the interaction of different links in pathogenesis requires scientists to find new tools and methods for both diagnosis and treatment. Drone brood homogenate, which is a multifactorial pharmacological agent in terms of chemical composition, seems to be promising to study for today. And the lack of contraindications and a wide age range makes it an excellent object of research. The current study evaluated the pharmacological aspects of safety: acute toxicity, effects on the functional and motor activity of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as local irritation of the gastric mucosa, the secretory function of the stomach. All experiments were performed according to the classical methods. The specific pharmacological activity of the drone brood homogenate was determined in comparison with metformin in the experimental fructose metabolic syndrome. Animals obtained from the Vivarium of I.Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University were used to implement the set goals. Working with animals was met all bioethical requirements. The study found that the lyophilized drone brood homogenate does not have a local irritant effect and does not cause ulcers on the surface of the gastric mucosa, does not affect the secretory function of the stomach and motor-evacuatory activity of the gastrointestinal tract and is a low-toxic substance, indicating the possibility of its long-term safe use. As expected, glucose, insulin, and HOMA index were significantly increased in animals that were simulated metabolic syndrome. The use of drone brood homogenate by animals contributed to a relatively positive effect on selected indicators of the metabolic syndrome. Accordingly, drone brood homogenate is a promising active pharmaceutical ingredient for the normalization of biochemical disorders in metabolic syndrome.

Prospects for the use of apiproducts in human healthy nutrition

It has been established, that the development and implementation of the practice of using biologically active components of nutrition is one of the areas of modern dietetics, which are developing dynamically. Apiproducts are a very promising source of biologically active substances. Fundamental studies of domestic and foreign scientists have proven their high biological value, versatile pharmacological activity (anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, analgesic, antioxidant, immunostimulatory, anti-radiation, etc.). The use of apiproducts for the prevention and treatment of a number of human diseases is a comprehensively studied phenomenon in terms of beekeeping, botany, chemistry, microbiology, pharmacology, medicine and pharmacy. It has been proved, that the action of individual apiproducts and their components allows to use them effectively in practical apitherapy. Because these products differ significantly depending on their chemical composition, they are divided into two groups. The first includes honey, flower pollen, perga (a product of conservation of flower pollen in a hive) and, in part, drone brood. As mixtures of valuable BAS and metabolites, they are used mainly to increase the biological value of traditional foods and create new compositions. The second group includes bee venom, propolis and, in part, royal jelly, which are therapeutic agents by their nature and are used to correct physiological functions and metabolism, have regulatory effects, and their action is realized through the effect on the lipid matrix of biological membranes and membrane proteins. It has been established, that the use of these food components in health nutrition and production of health and medical foods is a promising area

Searching for Differences in Chemical Composition and Biological Activity of Crude Drone Brood and Royal Jelly Useful for Their Authentication

Drone brood is a little-known bee product which is frequently considered as a male equivalent of royal jelly and is sometimes used as its adulterant. The aim of the study was to compare the chemical composition and biological activity of both bee products originated from the same apiaries (n = 3) limiting the influence of genetic and environmental factors. Moreover, for drone brood study covered testing three stages of larval development (days 7, 11, and 14). The comparison included mineral composition (ICP-OES method), protein content and protein profile (SDS-PAGE), testosterone and estradiol content (ELISA tests). HPTLC method was used to analyze of sugar, amino acids, and polyphenolic profile of drone brood and royal jelly. Moreover, their antioxidant and enzymatic properties were compared. A lot of similarities between drone brood and royal jelly were found in terms of chemical components. However, drone brood was more abundant in iron and manganese, reducing sugars and some amino acids, especially proline, tyrosine, and leucine. It contained more testosterone (especially on the 14th day) and estradiol (on the 7th day). The greatest differences in the enzymatic activities and polyphenolic profile were found. Diastase and α-glucosidase activity were found as specific enzymes of the drone brood. Similarly, ferulic and ellagic acids were characteristic for brood and were not present in royal jelly. The study showed a lot of similar features for both tested bee products, however, some specific markers which can serve to differentiate drone brood and royal jelly were found.