Honey bees and their brood: a potentially valuable resource of food, worthy of greater appreciation and scientific attention

Abstract

Despite the consumption of bee brood in several parts of the world, particularly in the tropical areas, the practice has received comparatively little attention. We have reviewed all the available information on the nutrient composition and functional properties of different developmental stages of honey bee workers belonging to different species and subspecies. Noticing the competent nutrient composition of, in particular, honey bee brood, pupae, and prepupae, we suggest that they could be a potential source of human nutrition as well as animal feed. Moreover, drone brood is an ideal candidate for use as a food or as food ingredient. However, to analyze the functional properties of different honey bee species remains a task for further analysis.

Edible Insects as a Novel Source of Bioactive Peptides: A Systematic Review

“…Honeybees are widely reared worldwide to produce honey, beeswax, royal jelly, propolis, and bee venom. The honeybee brood, comprising larvae, pupae, and eggs, is a byproduct of farming that is consumed in several parts of the world due to its high nutritional value [61]. The dried A. mellifera larvae has a nutritional composition of 35.3% of protein, 14.5% of fat, 46.1% of carbohydrate, and an energy content of 456 kcal/100 g. The dried pupae contain 45.9% of protein, 16.0% of fat, and 34.3% of carbohydrate, with an energy content of 465 kcal/100 g [62].…”

Honey Bee (Apis mellifera L.) Broods: Composition, Technology and Gastronomic Applicability

“…A review from Ghosh et al [ 38 ] compiled some data for the chemical composition and functional properties at different developmental stages of honey bee workers belonging to different species and drone broods belonging to different subspecies. Table 4 presents the amino acid profiles of drone pupae over different stages (from prepupal to late pupal) whose ranges of values are gathered from results reported by the same authors in previous studies [ 39 , 40 ].…”

“…The same authors [ 38 ] presented data for the fatty acid profiles of drone pupae in different developmental stages for several subspecies of Apis mellifera , as shown in Table 5 . The obtained values were collected from previous works by the same authors [ 40 , 41 ].…”

“…Over two billion people worldwide consume insects regularly as part of their traditional diets [ 46 ]. The consumption of honey bee broods in particular is also characteristic in several parts of the world, most especially in tropical areas [ 38 ]. Drone broods, in particular, could be considered a minor hive product, however not so widespread as other honey bee products.…”

“…The brood of the honey bee is an up-and-coming edible resource if we take into account that those honey bees are kept by humans worldwide. Ghosh et al [ 38 ] proposed that drone broods have considerable potential for use in human nutrition, either as food or as an ingredient in food preparations.…”