Effect of Bee Bread on Pregnancy Outcomes and Reproductive System of Rats under Heat Stress Exposure

Exposure to extreme temperature during pregnancy was associated with abnormal birth outcomes including preterm birth, low birth weight, and placental abortion. Bee bread is a natural product created by bees that is highly nutritional and was recommended for human consumption as a source of high energy and protein. Hence, this study aims to determine the effect of bee bread on pregnancy outcomes and the reproductive system of the ovary and uterus in rats exposed to heat stress.

THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PROCESS OF GRINDING AND COMPACTION OF THE BEE POLLEN BY WORKING BEES DURING BEE BREAD PREPARATION

Установлено особливості поведінки медоносних бджіл під час перероблення обніжжя на пергу. Дослідження проводилися на бджолиних сім’ях української степової породи, які відповідали вимогам стандарту. Установлено, що споживають бджоли обніжжя в основному до п’ятнадцятиденного віку, а перероблюють його для зберігання переважно у шістнадцяти - двадцяти п’ятиденному віці. Робочою частиною, яка бере участь в ущільненні обніжжя, є верхні щелепи, верхня губа й частина кліпеуса. В середньому тривалість споживання та ущільнення обніжжя, майже однакова. Для відкладання бджолами обніжжя на стільнику необхідні: наявність різновікових бджіл на стільнику; відповідна щільність бджіл на одиниці площі; наявність різновікового розплоду та кормових запасів на стільнику або поряд з ним на сусідньому стільнику. Ключові слова: бджолина сім’я, українська степова порода бджіл, бджолине обніжжя, перга, щелепи бджіл, вік бджоли, стільник, бджолиний розплід, комірки.

Hepatoprotective Effect of Bee Bread in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD) Rats: Impact on Oxidative Stress and Inflammation

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a pathological accumulation of hepatic lipid closely linked with many metabolic disorders, oxidative stress and inflammation. We aimed to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of bee bread on oxidative stress and inflammatory parameters in MAFLD rats. Twenty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned into four groups (n = 7/group): normal control (NC), high-fat diet (HFD), bee bread (HFD + Bb, HFD + 0.5 g/kg/day bee bread) and orlistat (HFD + Or, HFD + 10 mg/kg/day orlistat) groups. After 12 weeks, the HFD group demonstrated significantly higher body weight gain, serum levels of lipids (TG, TC, LDL), liver enzymes (AST, ALT, ALP) and adiponectin, liver lipids (TG, TC) and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Furthermore, the HFD group showed significantly decreased antioxidant enzyme activities (GPx, GST, GR, SOD, CAT) and GSH level, and increased liver oxidative stress (TBARS, NO), translocation of Nrf2 to the nucleus, Keap1 expression and inflammation (TNF-α, NF-κβ, MCP-1) together with histopathological alterations (steatosis, hepatocyte hypertrophy, inflammatory cell infiltration, collagen deposition), which indicated the presence of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis. Bee bread significantly attenuated all these changes exerted by HFD feeding. In conclusion, our results suggest that bee bread might have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-steatotic and anti-fibrotic effects that are beneficial in protecting liver progression towards NASH and fibrosis.

A mixture of red kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and bee bread of honey bees (Wallacetrigona incise) as artificial feed for silkworm (Bombyx mori L.)

The supply of silk thread in Indonesia is only able to meet 5% of the national demand, and 95% must import it. Success in silk thread production comes from natural silk cultivation activities, namely mulberry cultivation. Meanwhile, the productivity of mulberry leaves in Indonesia is very low. This study aims to determine the feeding ability, growth of silkworm resistance, the effect of cocoon productivity pro4duced by silkworms when fed artificial feed. This research was conducted at the Forest Protection and Entomology Laboratory, Hasanuddin University. Artificial feed formulation in the form of a mixture of red kidney beans and bee bread with the comparison of mulberry leaves, red kidney beans, and bee bread were P1 (33:24:25), P2 (45:24:15); P3 (mulberry leaves and red kidney beans 40:44), P4 (mulberry leaves and bee bread 40:44), and P5 (natural feed of fresh mulberry leaves as control). Treatments P1, P2, P3, and P4 were added agar, vitamin C, sugar, and 100 ml of distilled water. The results of this study indicate that the percentage of artificial feed can be consumed 3 g/larva/day. Parameters of 5th instar larval survival, growth index, and cocoon quality in all feed compositions showed no significant differences.

Nesting habitat and honey production of asiatic honey bees (Apis cerana) in the protected forest in Enrekang Regency, Indonesia

This study aims to determine the characteristics of nesting habitat, harvesting techniques, and honey production of Asiatic honey bee (Apis cerana) in the protected forest in Enrekang Regency, Indonesia. Data was collected in the form of primary and secondary data. Data is collected by observation, survey, and literature study then analyzed by descriptive statistical methods. The results showed that the Asiatic honey bee hunting technique by local communities in the protected forest in Enrekang Regency was carried out traditionally during the flowering season, especially in September and October. Asiatic honey bees nest in stone cavities or cracked stones around flowering plants in elevation 976.9-1.085.1 masl. Depth of stone cavities nest ranges between 40-70 cm, height ranges between 20-60 cm, width ranges between 60-100 m, temperature and humidity in stone cavities nest vary between 23-26,9 °C and 70-87%, respectively. The average weight of honeycomb is 1.137,5 g produces an average honey 250.58 g, beeswax 250.58 g, bee bread 169.17 g, and bee brood (eggs, larvae, pupa) 105.42 g. Honey bee yields average is 17.20%, bee wax 60.05%, bee bread 13.97%, and bee brood (larvae, eggs, and pupae) 8.78%.

Biological indicators of bee families against the background of stimulating additives

Modeling of hive buildings with the architectonics of cells close to the natural sample against the background of stimulating additives can become an effective biological and technological lever not only in increasing the productivity of bee families, but also in rearing complete offspring in bee generations. This is especially relevant in association to the reproduction of the spring generation of honey bees. A characteristic feature of this period is that bee colonies should show high nesting activity and increase their strength. At the same time, the amino acids of honey bees play an important role in the detoxification of poisons, which is especially characteristic of histidine. The importance of tyrosine in the metabolism of honey bees as a class of insects is difficult to overestimate, because its derivatives play the important role not only in the formation of the exoskeleton of insects, but also in the creation of body color, they are also part of protective secretions and probably serve as chemical mediators of the nervous system. It has been proved that the spring-summer development of bee families was most active after wintering against the background of stimulating additives with inverted sugar syrup with the addition of cobalt chloride or drug Apinik, or in combination with 10 % bee bread and the construction of new-generation wax honeycombs, which compared with the control group, ensured the achievement of the maximum parameters of the growth indices of strength and construction activity for the construction of honeycombs – in 3,0, 4,26, 4,52 and in 0,86, 1,0 and 1,0 (in the control group – 2,61 and 0,57) and increased the live weight of bee individuals of the summer generation by 4,18, 4,6 and 4,7 %. It has been found that minerals, essential amino acids of the drug Apinik, associated with str. Fasium microorganisms, and 10 % bee bread as part of stimulating additives top dressing against the background of the renewal of new-generation wax combs before the main honey collection, increase the volume of hemolymph in inactive worker bees by 6,76–7,63 %, the degree of development of the fat body by 10,0 %, and in nectar-collecting bees by 6,75–8,16 % and 5,56–7,88 %, respectively. At the same time, the increase in the level of the amino acids histidine and tyrosine was recorded in inactive worker bees by 0,76–1,56 % and by 16,56–17,72 %, in nectar-collecting bees by 2,53–3,19 % and 28,68–30,08 %, respectively. This indicates the receipt of the complete generation of working bees of the summer generation, which will actively work on the main honey collection, providing economically useful traits of bee families.

Investigation of Nutritional and Antioxidant Properties of Anatolian Bee Bread

Bee bread is a bee product produced by bees in which they combine pollen with their digestive enzymes and place them in the comb cells. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the nutritional and antioxidant properties of Anatolian bee bread and present an examination of regional differences. In order to emphasize the bioavailability of bee bread and to determine its phenolic, flavonoid content, antioxidant activity and nutritional quality, ten samples were collected from different parts of Anatolia. Seven of them were from Muğla (prominent city in terms of honey production), one was from Van representing the Eastern Anatolia region, one was from Sivas representing the Central Anatolia region and one was from Kırşehir. Ten samples were analyzed for total phenolic, flavonoid, antioxidant and moisture content, and the mixture representing ten samples were analyzed for nutritional content (carbohydrate, fat, saturated fat, fiber, protein, salt, ash, iron and zinc). Total phenolic content, flavonoid, antioxidant content and moisture content of the samples were determined as 11.90 – 14.77 mg GAE/g, 1.30 – 6.30 mg CE/g, 20.03 – 35.43 mg TEAC/g and 10.13 – 18.10%, respectively. The highest phenolic, flavonoid and antioxidant content was observed in Muğla2 samples. The study’s results were compared to results found in literature, and it was concluded that Anatolian bee bread has high antioxidant content and nutritional value, especially, in terms of carbohydrates, iron and zinc.

A Snapshot Picture of the Fungal Composition of Bee Bread in Four Locations in Bulgaria, Differing in Anthropogenic Influence

Information about the fungal composition of bee bread, and the fermentation processes to which the fungi contribute significantly, is rather scarce or fragmentary. In this study, we performed an NGS-based metagenomics snapshot picture study of the fungal composition of bee bread in four locations in Bulgaria during the most active honeybee foraging period at the end of June 2020. The sampling locations were chosen to differ significantly in climatic conditions, landscape, and anthropogenic pressure, and the Illumina 2 × 250 paired-end reads platform was used for amplicon metagenomics study of the ITS2 region. We found that some of the already reported canonical beneficial core fungal species were present within the studied samples. However, some fungal genera such as Monilinia, Sclerotinia, Golovinomyces, Toxicocladosporium, Pseudopithomyces, Podosphaera and Septoriella were reported for the first time among the dominant genera for a honeybee related product. Anthropogenic pressure negatively influences the fungal composition of the bee bread in two different ways—urban/industrial pressure affects the presence of pathogenic species, while agricultural pressure is reflected in a decrease of the ratio of the beneficial fungi.