Stabilization methods and biochemical parameters of drone brood

Abstract

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.