Honey is nectar collected by insects and bees from flowers of flowering plants and brewed in honeycombs. Bees suck nectar or secretion with water content of about 80% from plants' flowers, store it in the stomach, ferment it for 30 minutes under the action of invertase in the body, and then return to the hive to spit it out. The temperature in the beehive is often kept at around 35℃. After a period of time, the water evaporates into honey with water content less than 20%, which is stored in the nest hole and sealed with beeswax. Besides glucose and fructose, honey also contains many vitamins, minerals and amino acids. 1 kg honey contains 2940 calories. Honey is a supersaturated solution of sugar, which will crystallize at low temperature, glucose will crystallize, and fructose is the main part that does not crystallize.
Second, bee pollen
1, the definition of bee pollen
Definition: Bee pollen is the male germ cell in stamens of flowering plants. It not only carries the genetic information of life, but also contains all the nutrients necessary to breed new life. It is the root of plant reproduction and the source of heat energy. Bee pollen is a piece of pollen processed by bees from plant flowers. Known as "all-round nutritious food", "concentrated natural medicine storehouse", "all-round nutritious storehouse", "oral cosmetics" and "concentrated amino acids", it is "the treasure of human natural food".
2. Species of bee pollen
The types of bee pollen are mainly distinguished according to the pollen source plants, such as tea pollen and rape powder. There are many kinds of pollen plants in China, but most of the pollen collected by bees is only enough for their own reproduction and cannot be provided as commercial pollen. Only a few bees can collect a lot of pollen when they bloom, and beekeepers can also collect bee pollen. In China, there are more than ten kinds of most common bee pollen.
3. Characteristics of bee pollen
1, rape pollen; It is produced all over the country except Tibet. Rapeseed pollen is the largest bee pollen in China, with yellow color, special green smell and strong fragrance. 2. Corn pollen; The main producing areas are Central China, East China, North China, Northeast China and Northwest China. Pollen particles are small, light yellow, gelatinous and tasteless. 3. Camellia pollen; The main producing areas are East China and Yunnan. Orange, fragrant, slightly sweet and delicious. 4. In addition, there are sunflower pollen, buckwheat pollen, sesame pollen, melon pollen and lotus powder.
Third, propolis.
Definition: Propolis is a gelatinous substance collected by bees from plant spores or tree trunks, which is mixed with the secretions of glands in the mouthparts of bees and then processed with pollen and beeswax. It is the umbrella of honeycombs. A colony of 50,000 ~ 60,000 bees can only produce 100 ~ 150g of propolis a year, which is called "Zijin".
1, the characteristics of propolis:
The functions of propolis can be summarized as six resistance, four decline, one increase, one clear, one beauty and one promotion, that is, anti-infection, anti-virus, anti-tumor, anti-oxidation, anti-fatigue and anti-radiation; Reduce blood lipid, blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol; Enhancing immunity, scavenging free radicals, caring skin and promoting tissue regeneration. Among them, propolis has the most remarkable function of inhibiting and killing bacteria, fungi and viruses, and it is a precious natural broad-spectrum antibiotic.
Fourth, royal jelly.
Definition: Royal jelly, also known as royal jelly, royal jelly, is the secretion of pharyngeal glands of young worker bees that cultivate larvae in bee nests, and is food prepared for the larvae who are about to become queen bees. Royal jelly has a high content of protein, which contains vitamin B and acetylcholine. Royal jelly should not be taken with boiled water or tea, and should be kept at low temperature.
1. Features of royal jelly:
Royal jelly is a kind of white milk secreted by royal jelly glands on worker bees' heads. The royal jelly glands of 6 ~ 12-day-old worker bees are fully developed and secrete more royal jelly. It can be used for feeding queen bee larvae or worker bees and drone larvae within 3 days as feed, or directly feeding queen bee. Fresh royal jelly just produced is a milky white or yellowish viscous liquid with strong viscosity. Slightly fragrant and sweet, it has a special taste of slightly sour, slightly astringent and slightly spicy. Royal jelly has poor stability and is easily affected and destroyed by chemicals such as light and heat. When exposed to air or sunlight for a long time, the color changes quickly, from white to light yellow, and finally to brown, which leads to fermentation deterioration. This has brought great difficulties to the preservation of royal jelly. Part of royal jelly is dissolved in ethanol, and the white part is precipitated, which is layered after being left for a long time.