Evaluation of the antioxidant potential of royal jelly during storage

Royal jelly is a creamy substance produced by young nurse worker bees, which has a color that ranges from white to slightly yellow, and is secreted by the hypopharingeal and mandibular glands of the bees. The objective of this work was to assess the in vitro antioxidant potential of royal jelly while in storage. The physical-chemical parameters analyzed were moisture, ascorbic acid and total phenolic content. Alcohol extracts were made and used to evaluate the 1.1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity. The ascorbic acid (to 0.75 from 1.31mg.100g-1wet base) and total phenolic content (to 14.26 from 28.30mg GAE.100g-1 wet base) of the royal jelly were low. The percentages of DPPH discoloration of the samples were above 50%, except for the samples stored for 90 days. Considering the reduced ascorbic acid and total phenolic content, and the low alcohol DPPH scavenging activity of the samples, it can be concluded that royal jelly presents relatively low antioxidant potential. The storage time did not determine the changes found.