Investigation of Nutraceutical Potential, in vitro Antioxidant and Free Radical Scavenging Activity of Indian Royal Jelly

Abstract

Apis mellifera, a priceless bee species is known to produce various nutritional products. Royal Jelly (RJ) is one such bee product which has high nutritive value, functional and biological qualities. However factors such as bee species, environment, season, collection technique and larval age affect the composition of RJ at macro and micro levels thus there is a need to evaluate Indian Royal Jelly (IRJ) for its chemical properties. So in the present work IRJ samples collected from Southern, Central and Northern regions of India were evaluated for physicochemical parameters (nature, color, appearance, odor, and solubility,) residual content (moisture content, ash value and pesticide content), chemical attributes (total polyphenol content, total flavonoid content,), nutraceutical potential (total fat, protein, carbohydrate content, and energy), and antioxidant activity (DPPH assay, ABTS assay and reducing power,). The total flavonoid content and total phenolic content were in the range of 0.119-0.321 mg quercetin/g of IRJ and 25.2844-68.203 mg Gallic acid/g, respectively. High energy, protein and low fat value suggested IRJ as a suitable nutraceutical agent. Antioxidant activity (IC50) of IRJ samples was found to be in the order of IRJ II > IRJ IV > IRJ I > IRJ III. Overall, it was observed that the IRJ-II showed better nutritional efficacy, polyphenolic content, and antioxidant properties.