The health secrets of royal jelly: Unlocking the health food industry
2025-12-09
In nature, there is a remarkable substance that can transform the larvae of worker bees into queen bees with a lifespan of several years, while the lifespan of ordinary worker bees is only a few weeks. This substance, known as the "longevity factor", is royal jelly - a milky or pale yellow liquid substance secreted by the hypopharyngeal glands and mandibular glands of worker bees. It is the exclusive food for 1-3-day-old worker bee larvae and queen bees. As a traditional precious nutritional product in China and an important raw material for modern health foods, royal jelly has a long history of application and its magical effects have been recognized by ancient people.
Royal jelly, as a special secretion of worker bees for nurturing queens and larvae, is hailed as "the gold of the bee colony" and is also a precious natural nutritional product and health food for humans. It contains rich nutrients such as proteins, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, enzymes, etc., and has various biological activities. It is widely used in the field of health foods.
1)Water
Content: The water content in fresh royal jelly ranges from 60% to 70%. Function: To maintain the emulsified texture of royal jelly and the activity of bioactive substances, facilitating the exertion of its physiological effects in the hive and in the human body and other environments.
2) Protein
Content: It accounts for about 50% of the dry matter of fresh royal jelly, and is one of the main components. Composition: It includes various types such as albumin and globulin, among which 2/3 is albumin and 1/3 is globulin. It also contains up to 12 or more specific proteins, such as main royal jelly proteins (MRJPs), etc. Function: It is an important substance for constituting the cells and tissues of the body, can provide essential amino acids for the human body, and helps to enhance immunity, promote tissue repair and growth and development.
3) Carbohydrate
Content: It accounts for 7% - 18%. Composition: It mainly consists of fructose and glucose, and also contains a small amount of sucrose, maltose, and trehalose. Function: It is the main source of energy for the body, can quickly provide energy for the body, and participates in various metabolic processes of the body.
4) Lipid
Content: It accounts for 3% - 8% (fresh royal jelly), and the lipid components account for a higher proportion in freeze-dried royal jelly, reaching 8% - 19%. Composition: It is mainly composed of fatty acids, accounting for more than 80% of the lipid, including 26 or more types such as 10-hydroxy-2-decanedioic acid (10-HDA, royal jelly acid), decanoic acid, nonanoic acid, etc. In addition, there are phenols, waxes, steroids, phospholipids, etc. Function: 10-HDA is a characteristic component of royal jelly, with biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-aging, and regulating metabolism; other fatty acids and lipids are also important components of the cell membrane, participating in energy storage and metabolic regulation, etc.
5) Vitamin
Content and composition: It is rich in various types, mainly B vitamins, such as pantothenic acid (the highest content), nicotinic acid, vitamin B1, B2, B6, etc., and also contains vitamin C, E, A, D, etc. Among them, vitamin B3 (nicotinic acid) has a high content, about 48 - 149 milligrams per gram of royal jelly; vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) has a rich content, 65 - 250 micrograms per gram; vitamin B1 has 6.9 - 18 milligrams per gram of royal jelly; vitamin B2 has 5.3 - 13.9 milligrams per gram. Function: It participates in various physiological processes such as metabolism, cell growth, and immune regulation, such as pantothenic acid plays an important role in the synthesis of antibodies and hormones, vitamin C has antioxidant functions, etc.
6) Mineral and trace element
Content and composition: It accounts for about 0.7% - 1.5% (fresh royal jelly), the main minerals include potassium, phosphorus, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, sodium, etc., and trace elements include iron, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, etc. Function: It is an important component for forming bones, teeth, and blood, and participates in the regulation of enzyme activity, nerve conduction, and immune regulation, etc. For example, calcium is crucial for bone health, and zinc promotes immune function and growth and development.
7) Other bioactive substances
Composition: It includes acetylcholine, enzymes (such as ascorbic acid oxidase, glucose oxidase, etc.), hormone classes (such as juvenile hormone, insulin-like substances, etc.), nucleic acids, nucleotides, etc. Function: Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter, participating in nerve conduction; enzymes can promote substance metabolism; hormone substances can regulate physiological functions; nucleic acids and nucleotides are related to cell growth, differentiation, and genetic information transmission, etc.
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