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Abstract(s)
A geleia real, o alimento exclusivo da abelha rainha durante toda a sua vida, é uma segregação aquosa produzida pelo sistema glandular cefálico das abelhas obreiras amas. Apresenta uma consistência macia esbranquiçada, de natureza ácida e cheiro característico com um pH de 4,5 e uma composição em açúcares semelhante à do mel. Na sua composição, para além da água, encontram-se várias vitaminas, minerais, e um conjunto de proteínas com elevada atividade fisiológica onde se inclui a “royalactin”, uma hormona que intervém na regulação do crescimento, desenvolvimento, metamorfoses e é responsável pela diferenciação entre a abelha rainha e as abelhas obreiras. Para além das proteínas, a geleia real contém também um ácido gordo bastante raro na natureza, o 10-hidroxidec-2-enóico (10-HDA), uma substância com elevada atividade farmacológica e que é utilizada também como um marcador da qualidade do produto. A sua quantificação é utilizada como critério importante na sua classificação em termos de qualidade e para fins comerciais podendo variar de acordo com a origem da geleia real.
A produção de geleia real ocorre de forma natural no interior da colmeia quer para a alimentação das larvas na sua fase de desenvolvimento inicial quer no processo de substituição/reposição da abelha rainha. A produção nestas condições é muito limitada, pelo que a sua exploração comercial requer a aplicação de procedimentos próprios. Estes procedimentos baseiam-se na aptidão de famílias órfãs, para criarem novas mestras, fornecendo à colónia um conjunto de condições para a formação de um elevado número de alvéolos reais onde as abelhas ama colocarão geleia real, a qual será recolhida num espaço de 48 a 72 horas. O aumento da procura no mercado deste produto apresenta-se como uma possibilidade do apicultor aumentar a sustentabilidade e rentabilidade da exploração.
Este trabalho, realizado numa colaboração entre o Laboratório da Universidade de Aristóteles de Salónica na Grécia e a Escola Superior Agrária de Bragança, teve como objetivo avaliar a produção de geleia real em diferentes condições experimentais, utilizando colónias não-órfãs, bem como analisar os parâmetros de qualidade da geleia real produzida.
Para a produção de geleia real foram preparadas nove colónias não-órfãs, divididas em três grupos com um efetivo de abelhas e reservas previamente harmonizado. Cada colónia foi constituída por um ninho e uma alça, separados por uma grade excluidora, mantendo-se a abelha rainha confinada no ninho. Num dos grupos foi colocado na alça um quadro com 60 cúpulas para a produção de geleia real. Nos restantes dois grupos foi adicionada uma segunda grade excluidora no ninho, permitindo confinar a rainha em apenas metade do ninho, colocando-se na outra metade um segundo quadro com cúpulas, totalizando em três colónias 90 cúpulas e nas restantes três, 120 cúpulas. A cada três dias, as cúpulas foram enxertadas com ovos do dia, recolhendo-se a geleia real ao final de 72 horas. A avaliação da produtividade dos três grupos realizou-se em 20 sessões entre os meses de maio e julho, através da contabilização do nível de aceitação dos enxertos e da quantidade de geleia real produzida.
Entre o início do estudo em maio e os primeiros dias do mês de julho, a produtividade de geleia real manteve-se aproximadamente constante sofrendo uma quebra significativa na produção a partir do meio de julho, o que estará associado com a diminuição das condições adequadas ao desenvolvimento da colónia, nomeadamente de disponibilidade de alimento e aumento das temperaturas.
O nível médio de aceitação global dos enxertos foi de 57% observando-se uma redução para as colmeias com maior número de cúpulas. Este decréscimo foi mais evidente com a passagem de 90 para 120 cúpulas por colmeia. O comportamento observado ao nível da produtividade também diminuiu com o aumento do número de cúpulas por quadro, no entanto, a redução entre o grupo de 60 e 90 cúpulas foi muito reduzida, obtendo-se nestes casos 0,25 g por cúpula. Considerando a produção média por cúpula e o grau de aceitação dos enxertos, verifica-se que a metodologia mais adequada para a produção de geleia real é a introdução de 90 cúpulas, atingindo-se para este grupo o valor máximo de produção de geleia real com 788 g.
A avaliação da qualidade de geleia real foi efetuada em seis amostras às quais se adicionou uma amostra de geleia real obtida em Portugal. Os teores em humidade oscilaram entre 58-68 % e as cinzas entre 3-4 %. A frutose e glucose, sendo os açúcares maioritários na geleia real, tiveram valores entre 10-18 %, tendo o total de açúcares oscilado entre 33-41 %. O teor proteico das amostras revelou valores elevados atingindo os 43 %. Para o ácido 10-hidroxidec-2-enóico, reconhecido como o componente mais bioativo da geleia real, foram encontrados valores entre 5-7 %. Estes valores estão todos de acordo com teores recomendados.
Royal jelly, the exclusive food of the queen bee throughout her life, is an aqueous segregation produced by the cephalic glandular system of the nurse worker bees. It presents a whitish, soft consistency of acid nature and a characteristic smell, with a pH of 4,5 and a sugar composition similar to that of honey. In its composition, besides water, can be found several vitamins, minerals and a set of proteins with high physiological activity including the royalactin, a hormone that is involved in regulating the growth, development, metamorphosis and is responsible for the differentiation between the queen bee and the worker bees. In addition to the proteins, royal jelly also contains a fatty acid rather rare in nature, the 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid, (10-HDA) a substance with a high pharmacological activity and which is also used as a marker of quality of the product. Its quantification is used as an important criterion in its classification in terms of quality and for commercial purposes, and it may vary according to the origin of royal jelly. The production of royal jelly occurs naturally within the beehive, either for feeding of larvae in its initial development phase or in the process of replacing/resetting the queen bee. The production in these conditions is very limited, so its commercial exploitation requires the application of proper procedures. These procedures are based on the ability of orphaned families to raise new queens, providing the colony with a set of conditions for the production of a large number of queen cells where the nurse bees will put royal jelly, which will be collected within 48 to 72 hours. The increasing market demand for this product presents itself as a possibility for the beekeeper to increase the sustainability and profitability of the exploitation. This work, carried out in collaboration between the Laboratory of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and the Escola Superior Agrária de Bragança, aimed to assess the production of royal jelly under different experimental conditions, using non-orphaned colonies, as well as to evaluate the quality parameters of the royal jelly produced. For the production of royal jelly, nine non-orphaned colonies were prepared, divided into three groups with an effective of bees and reserves previously harmonized. Each colony was composed by a nest and a super, separated by an excluder grid, keeping the queen bee confined to the nest. In one of the groups, a frame with 60 cells was placed on the super for the production of royal jelly. In the remaining two groups, a second excluder grid was added to the nest, permitting to confine the queen in only half of the nest, placing in the other half a second frame with cells, summing up 90 cells in three colonies and in the remaining three, 120 cells. Every three days the cells were grafted with eggs of the day, being the royal jelly collected at the end of 72 hours. The evaluation of productivity of the three groups was held in 20 sessions, between the months of May and July, by the level of acceptance of the grafts and the amount of royal jelly produced. Between the beginning of the study in May and the first days of July, the productivity of royal jelly has remained approximately constant, suffering a significant shortfall in production in the middle of July, which can be associated with the reduction of suitable conditions for the development of the colony, in particular the availability of food and the rising temperatures. The average level of global acceptance of the grafts was of 57%, with a reduction in the hives with the highest number of cells. This decrease was more evident with the passage of 90 to 120 cells per hive. The behaviour observed at the level of productivity also decreased with the increase in the number of cells per frame, however, the reduction between the group of 60 and 90 cells was minimum, obtaining in these cases 0,25 g per cell. Considering the average production per cell and the degree of acceptance of the grafts, it is noticed that the most appropriate methodology for the production of royal jelly is the use of 90 cells, reaching this group the maximum production of royal jelly with 788 g. Quality evaluation of royal jelly was made in six samples, which added a sample of royal jelly obtained in Portugal. Humidity levels have varied between 58-68 % and the ashes between 3-4 %. Fructose and glucose, being the main sugars in royal jelly, had values between 10-18 %, the total sugar fluctuated between 33-41 %. The protein content of the samples revealed high values reaching 43 %. For the 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid, recognized as the most bioactive component of royal jelly, values were found between 5-7 %. These values are all in accordance to recommended levels.
Royal jelly, the exclusive food of the queen bee throughout her life, is an aqueous segregation produced by the cephalic glandular system of the nurse worker bees. It presents a whitish, soft consistency of acid nature and a characteristic smell, with a pH of 4,5 and a sugar composition similar to that of honey. In its composition, besides water, can be found several vitamins, minerals and a set of proteins with high physiological activity including the royalactin, a hormone that is involved in regulating the growth, development, metamorphosis and is responsible for the differentiation between the queen bee and the worker bees. In addition to the proteins, royal jelly also contains a fatty acid rather rare in nature, the 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid, (10-HDA) a substance with a high pharmacological activity and which is also used as a marker of quality of the product. Its quantification is used as an important criterion in its classification in terms of quality and for commercial purposes, and it may vary according to the origin of royal jelly. The production of royal jelly occurs naturally within the beehive, either for feeding of larvae in its initial development phase or in the process of replacing/resetting the queen bee. The production in these conditions is very limited, so its commercial exploitation requires the application of proper procedures. These procedures are based on the ability of orphaned families to raise new queens, providing the colony with a set of conditions for the production of a large number of queen cells where the nurse bees will put royal jelly, which will be collected within 48 to 72 hours. The increasing market demand for this product presents itself as a possibility for the beekeeper to increase the sustainability and profitability of the exploitation. This work, carried out in collaboration between the Laboratory of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and the Escola Superior Agrária de Bragança, aimed to assess the production of royal jelly under different experimental conditions, using non-orphaned colonies, as well as to evaluate the quality parameters of the royal jelly produced. For the production of royal jelly, nine non-orphaned colonies were prepared, divided into three groups with an effective of bees and reserves previously harmonized. Each colony was composed by a nest and a super, separated by an excluder grid, keeping the queen bee confined to the nest. In one of the groups, a frame with 60 cells was placed on the super for the production of royal jelly. In the remaining two groups, a second excluder grid was added to the nest, permitting to confine the queen in only half of the nest, placing in the other half a second frame with cells, summing up 90 cells in three colonies and in the remaining three, 120 cells. Every three days the cells were grafted with eggs of the day, being the royal jelly collected at the end of 72 hours. The evaluation of productivity of the three groups was held in 20 sessions, between the months of May and July, by the level of acceptance of the grafts and the amount of royal jelly produced. Between the beginning of the study in May and the first days of July, the productivity of royal jelly has remained approximately constant, suffering a significant shortfall in production in the middle of July, which can be associated with the reduction of suitable conditions for the development of the colony, in particular the availability of food and the rising temperatures. The average level of global acceptance of the grafts was of 57%, with a reduction in the hives with the highest number of cells. This decrease was more evident with the passage of 90 to 120 cells per hive. The behaviour observed at the level of productivity also decreased with the increase in the number of cells per frame, however, the reduction between the group of 60 and 90 cells was minimum, obtaining in these cases 0,25 g per cell. Considering the average production per cell and the degree of acceptance of the grafts, it is noticed that the most appropriate methodology for the production of royal jelly is the use of 90 cells, reaching this group the maximum production of royal jelly with 788 g. Quality evaluation of royal jelly was made in six samples, which added a sample of royal jelly obtained in Portugal. Humidity levels have varied between 58-68 % and the ashes between 3-4 %. Fructose and glucose, being the main sugars in royal jelly, had values between 10-18 %, the total sugar fluctuated between 33-41 %. The protein content of the samples revealed high values reaching 43 %. For the 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid, recognized as the most bioactive component of royal jelly, values were found between 5-7 %. These values are all in accordance to recommended levels.
Description
Keywords
Produção de geleia real Colmeias não-orfãs Qualidade da geleia real 10-HD