Royal jelly is a natural product that is produced mainly by young bees to feed the larvae and queen. A cream-colored substance with a pearly sheen, a jelly-like consistency, a burning, sour taste and a pleasant aroma, it contains a huge amount of nutrients and vitamins. We will look into the details below on how to store such valuable royal jelly at home.
Shelf life
The unique natural gift of beekeeping, if used incorrectly, quickly loses its healing properties.The shelf life of fresh milk is calculated in minutes. After 2 hours after extracting the substance from the mother liquor, most of the useful compounds included in its composition disintegrate, and the product loses its value.
Fresh royal jelly is recommended to be consumed within the first hour after extraction. But to increase shelf life, the healing substance is frozen, mixed with other ingredients, or processed using an acceptable method.
Important! In the process of extracting royal jelly, they show increased accuracy and caution. Violation of safety rules increases the risk of death of an entire bee colony or loss of the properties of a medicinal product.
Storage rules and conditions
Any external factor, be it elevated temperature or bright lighting, disrupts the structure and biological activity of the substances that make up the milk. After extraction, bee jelly is placed in opaque glass containers and put in the refrigerator.
Temperature
You can store bee jelly in different operating modes of the refrigerator. The shelf life of the product directly depends on the choice of temperature.
- In the freezer, where the average temperature is from -18 to -20 degrees, the beekeeping product retains its valuable qualities for up to 2 years.
- If the freezer is set to a temperature of at least -10 degrees, the milk will retain the active substances for up to 1 year.
- In the main chamber, at a temperature of -3 to -5 degrees, the valuable substance will last up to 6 months.
Containers with natural gifts are stored in a vegetable storage box for no more than 1.5-2 months.
Interesting! Each mother cell can store only 0.4 g of biologically valuable product.
Selection of capacity
To increase the shelf life of royal jelly, you need to choose the right containers for packaging it.
- The natural environment for milk is the mother liquor, and after extraction the product retains its valuable properties for no more than 1.5-2 hours.
- Stored in a tightly sealed container made of opaque, dark glass for 24 months.
- To transport and store extracted jelly, syringes with dispensers are used to ensure the tightness of the valuable substance.
Mixing with products
To increase shelf life and optimize royal jelly for daily use, the jelly is mixed with other ingredients or processed using special methods.
With honey
Honey for royal jelly is its native habitat and an indispensable preservative. To obtain the mixture, only fresh, liquid honey is used, without crystallization. For 300 g of honey, take only 1 g of bee jelly. The ingredients are thoroughly mixed until a homogeneous creamy mass is obtained. The shelf life of the healing mixture in the refrigerator is up to 12 months.
Important! Royal jelly enhances the beneficial properties of honey. The product is used to boost immunity, treat diseases of the digestive system, and for colds and flu.
In alcohol
To increase the shelf life of a valuable product, you can prepare an alcohol tincture at home. To do this, add 10 g of bee jelly to 1 liter of alcohol or vodka, after which the infusion is stirred until the milk is completely dissolved and hermetically sealed.
This infusion increases the body's resistance, stabilizes blood pressure and the functioning of the cardiovascular system. Store the finished product in the refrigerator for up to 12 months.
Important! Alcohol infusion with royal jelly is contraindicated for children, pregnant and lactating women.
Adsorption
The process of preparing a valuable product using the adsorption method allows you to preserve the useful product in its natural state for up to 2 years.
To do this, the beekeeping product is mixed and ground with lactose and glucose:
- component of glucose – 2% of the total mass;
- component of lactose – 98% of the total mass;
- bee jelly is added to the mixture at a ratio of 1:4
The ingredients are ground in a glass container until a homogeneous mass is formed. The finished mixture is placed in opaque glass containers and stored in the refrigerator. For ease of use, granules are made from the mixture. The shelf life of such a product increases to 2.5 years.
Important! Adsorbed royal jelly in finished form can be purchased at pharmacy chains or specialized retail outlets.
Lyophilization
The process of lyophilization, or dehydration, of a valuable natural gift is available only in high-tech industries. Initially, the milk is deep frozen and then vacuum dried. The finished powder is used for the manufacture of pharmaceutical and biologically active drugs, as well as in cosmetology.
How to extend the shelf life
The easiest way to extend the shelf life of royal jelly is to place the bee jelly in the freezer, after dividing it into small portions. Store the substance in sealed containers, separately from other products.
