Royal Jelly | Bee Pollen Blog

Many of us know already that royal jelly is ‘manufactured’ in the beehive for the nourishment of the queen bee. We know that is is a creamy whitish/yellowing liquid, quite viscous and very volatile. Once it is removed from the beehive it needs to be processed quickly to prevent contamination and spoiling.
Some processors will retain the liquid in its raw state and simply freeze it, whereupon it can be delivered straight to the end user for consumption or to another processing facility for the next stage of its transformation into a health supplement. Many processors will also pasteurize the liquid, by applying heat, in the typical pasteurization format. This leaves a substance with questionable nutritional integrity. For certain it still has beneficial properties, but also certain is that it is now void of any live enzymes, which may be at the core of royal jelly’s benefits.
So either in a raw state or following pasteurization, it can now either be capsulated, bottled (jars) or lyophilized.
Capsulating raw liquid royal jelly
This isn’t the easiest of processes. Most capsules (and equipment) are designed to house dry powders. Capsulating a liquid substance generally requires the use of a soft-gel container, which provides a complete and air-tight seal around the royal jelly. It still needs to have preservatives added to extend its shelf-life, and these can vary. The process is quite difficult and generally results in a higher cost per milligram of substance. It also generally restricts the amount of active ingredient that can be delivered in one capsule, often to as low as 150mg.
Bottling raw liquid royal jelly
This is much easier than capsulating it, but passes the handling issue along to the end user. You now have a jar of fresh liquid royal jelly, perhaps 16 oz, and you need to keep it refrigerated and consume it quite quickly after opening. Some processors add fresh honey to the raw royal jelly to extend its shelf life.
Lyophilized royal jelly
This is a process where cold air as passed over the surface of the liquid to remove water. It turns the liquid into a powder form which is still just as nutritive as the original liquid, with the exception of H2o. Now it can be handled much like a conventional supplement in powder form, and it is usually capsulated in a 2-piece gelatin shell the bottled.

The key, regardless of which method you buy into, is to ensure that you buy from a reputable source and be sure to buy from a USA licensed facility.
We’ll be covering more of these points in much more detail in upcoming blogs.

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