Honey production methods, food products, and health foods

Abstract

To provide a method for producing honey that allows for the direct collection of honey containing desired components from bees without processing the honey, and to provide food products and health foods containing honey obtained by this method. [Solution] The honey production method of this disclosure comprises a feeding step of giving honeybees a feed containing sea buckthorn, and a collection step of collecting the honey produced by the honeybees that have been given the feed in the feeding step. Therefore, the collected honey can contain components of sea buckthorn. Furthermore, the food products of this disclosure include honey produced by the honey production method of this disclosure.

Description

Technical Field

[0007] ,

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for producing honey, food, and health food.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, honey is known to be a material rich in nutritional components and to have a high bactericidal effect.

[0003] Therefore, health foods containing honey are also known (see, for example, Patent Document 1), and it is also known to add predetermined components to honey and perform processing to impart desired functions (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, when processing honey, the labor of processing increases, and equipment for processing is also required, which may lead to an increase in manufacturing costs. Furthermore, the quality of honey may change during processing.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made paying attention to the above problems, and provides a method for producing honey capable of directly recovering honey having desired components from bees, and also provides food and health food containing the honey obtained by this production method.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The honey production method of this disclosure comprises a feeding step of giving honeybees a feed containing sea buckthorn, and a collection step of collecting the honey produced by the honeybees that have been given the feed in the feeding step. The food products of this disclosure contain honey produced by the honey production method of this disclosure. The health foods disclosed herein include the foods disclosed herein. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The honey production method disclosed herein allows for the direct collection of honey containing sea buckthorn components from beehives. Furthermore, the invention provides a food product containing the honey obtained by the honey production method disclosed herein, as well as a health food product containing this food product. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a front view of a beehive used in the honey production method of Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This is a plan view showing the top and bottom boards of the beehive. [Figure 3] This is a plan view showing the wire mesh installed beneath the ceiling board of the beehive. [Figure 4] This is a plan view showing the slatted platform that will be installed in the first layer of the nest box, below the wire mesh. [Figure 5] This is a plan view showing the first and second tiers of the beehive. [Figure 6] This is a plan view showing the entrance frame and bottom board of a beehive. [Figure 7] This is a plan view showing the feeding container placed on a slatted platform during the feeding process of Embodiment 1. [Figure 8] This is a plan view showing the feeding container placed on the bottom plate during the feeding process of Embodiment 1. [Figure 9] This is a side view of the feeder used in the feeding process of Embodiment 1. [Figure 10] This flowchart shows an example of the steps in the honey production method according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 11]It is a flowchart showing another example of the steps of the method for manufacturing honey according to Embodiment 1.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] The following is an explanation of the embodiments of the method for manufacturing honey, food, and health food of the present disclosure based on the drawings.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) The method for manufacturing honey according to Embodiment 1 is carried out using the hive box 10 shown in FIG. 1. The hive box 10 includes, in order from above, a ceiling plate 11, a wire mesh 12, a first super 13, a second super 14, a hive entrance frame 15, and a bottom plate 16. Although the hive box 10 is shown as a two - tiered structure with the first super 13 and the second super 14, the number of tiers can be 1 - 4, etc., depending on the size of the honeycomb 30.

[0012] The first super 13 and the second super 14 are each formed by joining four plates 101 in a rectangular frame shape as shown in FIG. 5, and the inside of each super 13, 14 is hollow. When the first super 13 and the second super 14 are stacked continuously one above the other, a vertically long hollow portion 20 is formed inside the two supers 13, 14, and the honeycomb 30 shown in FIG. 1 is formed in this hollow portion 20 by bees.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 5, two rods 102, 102 are cross - bridged in each super 13, 14. These rods 102 are for preventing the honeycomb 30 (see FIG. 1) from falling, and are formed of metal wires or thin wooden rods. The number of rods 102 installed and their arrangement are arbitrary, and three or more rods can be provided, or they can be provided diagonally, etc.

[0014] Also, as shown in FIG. 1, a hive entrance frame 15 is provided under the second super 14. As shown in Fig. 6, this nest entrance frame 15 is formed in a rectangular frame shape by joining four frame members 103, and is formed in a size that can be stacked under the second double box 14. Therefore, the cavity 20 includes a portion formed inside the nest entrance frame 15. Furthermore, the nest entrance frame 15 is provided with an entrance / exit groove 15a for forming a bee entrance / exit 18 that allows the cavity 20 to communicate with the outside. In the first embodiment, the entrance / exit groove 15a is formed by cutting downward the upper surface of the frame member 103 located on the front side of the hive box 10 among the four frame members 103. Then, by stacking the second double box 14 on the nest entrance frame 15, the upper side of the entrance / exit groove 15a is blocked by the second double box 14, and an entrance / exit 18 that allows the cavity 20 to communicate with the outside is formed. The vertical dimension of this entrance / exit 18, that is, the depth of the entrance / exit groove 15a, is set to a dimension (for example, about 7 mm) that allows bees to enter and exit but does not allow wasps to enter and exit.

[0015] The vertically continuous cavity 20 formed by the double boxes 13, 14 and the nest entrance frame 15 is blocked above and below by the ceiling plate 11 and the bottom plate 16 shown in Fig. 1. That is, the ceiling plate 11 and the bottom plate 16 are formed in a rectangular plate shape as shown in Fig. 2. Then, as shown in Fig. 1, the ceiling plate 11 is stacked on the upper side of the first double box 13, and the bottom plate 16 is arranged on the lower side of the nest entrance frame 15, so that the cavity 20 is blocked. Note that the ceiling plate 11 and the bottom plate 16 may have outer dimensions larger than those of the double boxes 13, 14 and the nest entrance frame 15.

[0016] Also, as shown in Fig. 1, a bamboo mat 19 is provided on the upper part of the first double box 13 which is the upper part of the hive box 10. The bamboo mat 19 is a well-known one. As shown in Fig. 4, a plurality of strip-shaped plates 19a are provided with gaps 19b in the horizontal direction with respect to each other. Also, the outer periphery of the bamboo mat 19 is in contact or close to the inner periphery of the first double box 13 over the entire circumference. Therefore, an upper space 21 is formed above the bamboo mat 19 at the upper end of the cavity 20. And the gaps 19b of the bamboo mat 19 are formed in a size that allows bees to pass through, and bees can enter and exit the upper space 21 in the cavity 20. Alternatively, the slatted base 19 may be supported by the rod 102, or a support member specifically for the slatted base 19 may be provided inside the first stacked box 13. Furthermore, a frame body with a structure similar to the entrance frame 15 but without an entrance groove 15a may be provided above the first box 13, and a slatted board 19 may be placed between this frame body and the first box 13 to form an upper space 21 inside the frame body. In this case, the frame body and the ceiling board 11 may be formed as a single unit.

[0017] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, a wire mesh 12 is interposed between the first box 13 and the ceiling board 11. This wire mesh 12 is a well-known type with intersecting vertical lines 12a and horizontal lines 12b, as shown in Figure 3, and the mesh size is set to be too large for honeybees to pass through. Therefore, with the wire mesh 12 preventing the bees from leaving the top of the cavity 20, it is possible to place a repellent on the wire mesh 12 to supply its components to the cavity 20, or to remove the ceiling board 11 and blow smoke or other repellent into the cavity 20 through the wire mesh 12.

[0018] The nest box 10, formed as described above, is placed on a mounting base 40, as shown in Figure 1. The mounting base 40 is formed by joining multiple angle members 41 in a rectangular frame shape and supports the lower surface of the bottom plate 16. Alternatively, a concrete block or the like may be used instead of the mounting base 40.

[0019] The honey production method using the beehive 10 comprises a feeding step and a harvesting step, as shown in Figure 10. The feeding process involves giving honeybees food that includes sea buckthorn. The harvesting process is the process of collecting honey produced by bees that have been fed during the feeding process. Furthermore, the honey production method may include a feed preparation step, as shown in Figure 11. This feed preparation step involves preparing feed containing sea buckthorn to be given to the honey, and includes two types of steps: a mixed feed preparation step and a paste-like feed preparation step.

[0020] In this embodiment 1, at least one of the following types of feed is used as the feed containing sea buckthorn: a liquid feed, which is in liquid form, and a paste-type feed, which is made by mixing sea buckthorn and other ingredients into a paste-like mixture. The following three types of liquid feed can be used. First, the liquid feed includes a first liquid feed obtained without going through the feed preparation process, and a second and third liquid feed created through the mixed feed preparation process in the feed preparation process.

[0021] The first liquid feed is sea buckthorn juice, and this sea buckthorn juice is used as liquid feed as is, in which case the feed preparation process is unnecessary. Therefore, in the honey production method in this case, as shown in Figure 10, only the feeding process and the harvesting process need to be carried out.

[0022] The second liquid feed is prepared by the first mixed feed preparation process, which involves mixing sea buckthorn juice with honey for feeding. Furthermore, the honey used for feed consists of at least one of the following: homemade honey recovered in the recovery process, or commercially available honey from another company, separate from the homemade honey recovered in the recovery process. Using honey from another company as feed improves the efficiency of producing the second liquid feed compared to using homemade honey. The sugar content of this second liquid feed is preferably in the range of 20-40%. That is, since the sugar content of nectar in nature is in the range of 20-40%, by setting the sugar content of the second liquid feed to be similar to that of nectar in nature, it is possible to promote the intake of feed by bees and improve honey productivity. Thus, when a second liquid feed, a mixture of sea buckthorn juice and honey for feeding, is used, bees consume it more readily than when the first liquid feed, which is simply sea buckthorn juice, is used. In particular, when the second liquid feed has a sugar content of 20-40%, bees consume it very readily. This has been confirmed by experiment. The third liquid feed is prepared by the second mixed feed preparation process, which involves mixing sea buckthorn juice with sugar water. In this case as well, for the reasons mentioned above, it is preferable to keep the sugar content of the feed within the range of 20-40%. This third liquid feed can also be expected to promote the intake of bees' feed more effectively than when sea buckthorn juice is given directly as feed. As described above, by providing multiple types of liquid bait, it is possible to select the best option depending on the bees' bait intake and the condition of the collected honey.

[0023] Paste-type bait is a type of bait produced by a paste-type bait manufacturing process in which sea buckthorn is mixed with kneaded bait to create a paste. The bait contains pollen and / or honey for feeding. By creating paste-type feed, the range of feed options increases, and by using both liquid and paste-type feeds depending on the bees' intake, it becomes possible to improve honey productivity. Adding pollen or honey to the honeybees can encourage them to consume more food, thereby improving honey production. Furthermore, in the case of the second liquid feed, it is preferable to keep the sugar content of the feed within the range of 20-40%, which further promotes the intake of bees and improves honey productivity. Furthermore, the honey used for feed can be either homemade honey recovered in the recovery process or commercially available honey from another company, separate from the homemade honey recovered in the recovery process. Using honey from another company can improve the efficiency of paste-like feed production compared to using homemade honey. Furthermore, the paste-like feed can also contain excipients other than pollen and honey used for feeding.

[0024] The feeding process involves placing a container 50 containing one or more of the following feeds—the first liquid feed containing sea buckthorn, the second liquid feed, the third liquid feed, and the paste feed—on the top or bottom board 16 of the beehive 10 and feeding the bees. This allows bees to ingest sea buckthorns. When feeding the bees at the top of the nest box 10, the ceiling board 11 and wire mesh 12 are removed to open the cavity 20 of the nest box 10, and the container 50 containing the food is placed on the slatted platform 19 provided on top of the nest box 10 to feed the bees (see Figure 7). After placing the container 50 on the slatted platform 19, the wire mesh 12 and ceiling board 11 are placed on top of the first box 13 to close the cavity 20. Therefore, the bees in the nest 30 can enter the upper space 21 through the gaps 19b in the slatted base 19 and take in food. Furthermore, when placing the container 50 on the bottom plate 16, the part of the beehive 10 above the second box 14 is removed, the entrance frame 15 is opened upwards, and as shown in Figure 8, the container 50 containing the food is placed on the bottom plate 16 at the bottom of the hollow section 20 to provide food. After placing the container 50 on the bottom plate 16, the part of the beehive 10 above the second box 14 is put back in place. When providing the first liquid feed, sea buckthorn juice, to the container 50, it is preferable to provide approximately 500cc per beehive 10. In this case, the amount of sea buckthorn contained in the honey collected from the comb 30 can be appropriately controlled.

[0025] In addition, during the feeding process, the feed may be given using a bee feeder 60 designed for honeybees. As the feeder 60 is a well-known device, it will be briefly explained as shown in Figure 9. It comprises a tank section 61 for storing liquid feed and a supply adjustment section 63 for supplying the liquid feed stored in the tank section 61 to a predetermined depth in the supply dish section 62. Furthermore, the feeder 60 may be placed, for example, in front of the entrance 18 of the nest box 10. When feeding bees using a bee feeder 60 during the feeding process, the work is easier than when feeding them inside the beehive 10.

[0026] As mentioned above, the collection process is the process of collecting the honey produced in the hive 30 by the bees that have been fed during the feeding process. In other words, in addition to consuming the food supplied during the feeding process, honeybees also consume nectar outside the hive 10. Therefore, in the nest 30, honey is indirectly transferred from bee to bee by mouth-to-mouth feeding, or bees that have consumed nectar carry it directly to the nest 30 and store it there. At that time, honey is produced by mixing the nectar with the sea buckthorn contained in the feed. Furthermore, if the birds are fed a liquid feed consisting of 100% sea buckthorn juice, honey will not be produced on its own. However, as mentioned above, when it is mixed with nectar in the comb 30, honey is created by mixing sea buckthorn and nectar, and this honey is stored in the comb 30. Furthermore, when sea buckthorn is given as a mixed feed containing honey or sugar water, or as a paste-like feed containing pollen, honey or sugar water, honey is produced more smoothly by mixing sea buckthorn and nectar, and stored in the hive 30. Therefore, by collecting the honey stored in the comb 30 as described above, it is possible to collect honey that is a mixture of sea buckthorn and flower nectar, that is, sea buckthorn honey. Furthermore, the sea buckthorn honey collected in this way looks the same as regular honey, but it has a novel taste that includes the flavor and acidity of sea buckthorn.

[0027] By the way, sea buckthorn contains protein, amino acids, lipids, unsaturated fatty acids, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, iron, potassium, calcium, vitamin A, carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, malic acid, quinic acid, and more. Furthermore, sea buckthorn is said to have the following medicinal properties. Sea buckthorn is rich in iron, making it effective for anemia caused by iron deficiency. Sea buckthorn contains vitamins and minerals, which help reduce reactive oxygen species that increase due to stress, thus alleviating stress. Sea buckthorn contains vitamins A, C, and E, which have skin-beautifying effects, thus contributing to its skin-beautifying properties. Sea buckthorn contains iron, essential amino acids, and malic acid, so it is expected to have a fatigue-relieving effect. Sea buckthorn contains vitamin E, which dilates capillaries and promotes blood flow, thus improving cold sensitivity. It is also rich in potassium, which can help reduce swelling. Sea buckthorn contains phytosterols, which are lipid-soluble substances unique to plants, and therefore have a preventive effect against heart disease.

[0028] Therefore, when a person consumes sea buckthorn honey, which is produced using the honey manufacturing method described above, they can expect to obtain the aforementioned effects, namely, anemia suppression, stress reduction, fatigue recovery, and prevention of heart disease. Furthermore, there is a real-world example of a person with cardiac arrhythmia who, after continuously consuming honey containing sea buckthorn, experienced a reduction in venous arrhythmia and an improvement in their intestinal environment. Furthermore, while sea buckthorn itself has a strong sour taste and is difficult for people to consume directly, its inclusion in honey allows for consumption without worrying about the sourness. In addition, honey containing sea buckthorn is not only sweet, but also contains the taste and sourness of sea buckthorn juice, offering a novel flavor of honey. Moreover, since the honey collected from the comb already contains sea buckthorn components, rather than processing the honey collected from the comb to add sea buckthorn, the labor and equipment required for honey processing are unnecessary, allowing for the low-cost production of honey containing sea buckthorn components, and eliminating the risk of quality changes associated with processing. Furthermore, by providing a food product containing honey produced by the honey production method described above, it is possible to provide a food product that can be expected to have the above-mentioned effects, namely, anemia suppression effect, stress reduction effect, fatigue recovery effect, and heart disease prevention effect. Furthermore, the food disclosed herein, or a food containing the disclosed food, can be offered as a health food that is expected to have health-maintaining and health-promoting effects. Because this health food contains the above-mentioned ingredients, it can be expected to have effects such as suppressing anemia, reducing stress, relieving fatigue, and preventing heart disease.

[0029] (Examples) As an example, the honey production method of the present invention was carried out as follows. As a feed containing sea buckthorn, a mixture of honey collected from honeybees (Japanese honeybees) and commercially available 100% sea buckthorn juice in a 1:1 ratio was prepared (preparation process). Since the sugar content of honey is usually around 80, the sugar content of the sea buckthorn feed used in this example is approximately 40.

[0030] The above-mentioned feed was poured into a feeding cup and placed in front of the entrance to the beehive for the bees to consume (feeding process). The total amount of feed consumed by the bees over one month was 2 liters.

[0031] After the bees have consumed the above-mentioned food, they wait another month for the honey stored in the hive to mature sufficiently and for the bees to seal the honeycomb cells with beeswax. Then, the honeycomb is removed from the hive and the honey is extracted (harvesting process).

[0032] The resulting sea buckthorn honey had a sugar content similar to that of ordinary honey, was pale yellow in color, and had a smooth, fluid consistency.

[0033] Furthermore, the sea buckthorn honey was tasted, and the following responses were obtained regarding its taste, aroma, texture, and overall impression. The tasting was conducted by a 25-year-old male, a 25-year-old female, and a 55-year-old female. "100% sea buckthorn juice has a strong, unpleasant taste and is difficult to drink, but sea buckthorn honey is fruity, delicious, and easy to drink." "Sea buckthorn honey doesn't really taste like sea buckthorn, but if you're getting sea buckthorn components along with the honey, it seems healthy. If I saw regular honey and sea buckthorn honey side-by-side in a store, I'd buy the sea buckthorn honey." "Sea buckthorn honey has a refreshing aftertaste and tastes better than regular honey." "I couldn't really tell the difference in taste between sea buckthorn honey and regular honey, but I found both delicious." "Eating sea buckthorn honey improved my bowel movements, so I started eating a spoonful every day. Since I started eating sea buckthorn honey, my digestive system has been in good condition, I feel less tired, and my overall physical condition has improved." As described above, the sea buckthorn honey received a relatively high rating as a result of the tasting.

[0034] Furthermore, it was found that the sea buckthorn honey of the present invention has a longer shelf life compared to simply a mixture of honey and sea buckthorn (sea buckthorn mixed honey).

[0035] In other words, the shelf life of sea buckthorn mixed honey depends on the shelf life of the sea buckthorn juice, which is equivalent to one month after opening. However, the sea buckthorn honey of this invention has a shelf life as honey, which is up to three years regardless of whether it is unopened or opened. Furthermore, sea buckthorn honey has the advantage of being able to be stored as honey almost indefinitely, just like regular honey.

[0036] While embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and any design modifications that do not depart from the spirit of the present invention are included in the present invention. For example, in the embodiment, an example was shown in which the entrance 18 is formed between the second hive box 14 and the entrance frame 15. However, an entrance groove 15a may be formed on the lower surface of the entrance frame 15, and the entrance 18 may be formed between the entrance frame 15 and the bottom plate 16. Furthermore, when feeding using the feeder 60, a nest box other than the stacked-box type nest box 10 shown in the embodiment (for example, a cylindrical type) may be used. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0037] 10 beehives 11 Ceiling board 12 wire mesh 12a Vertical line 12b Horizontal line 13. First tiered box 14. Second tiered box 15 hive entrance frame 15a Entrance / exit groove 16 Bottom plate 18 Entrance / Exit 19a board 19b Gap 20 Cavity 21 Upper space part 30 nests 40 Mounting platform 41 Angle material 50 containers 60 Feeders 61 Tank section 62 Supply tray section 63 Supply adjustment section 101 Board material 102 Rods 103 Frame material

Claims

1. A paste-type feed preparation step of mixing sea buckthorn into a paste-type feed containing pollen and honey for feeding to prepare a paste-type feed, The system comprises a feeding step of giving the paste-like feed to bees, and a collection step of collecting the honey produced by the bees that were given the paste-like feed in the feeding step, A method for producing honey, characterized in that, in the feeding step, a container containing the paste-like feed is placed on a slatted platform provided at the top of the beehive and having gaps large enough for bees to pass through, and the paste-like feed is then given to the bees.

2. The method for producing honey according to claim 1, wherein the honey for feed is at least one of the honey recovered in the recovery step and honey other than the honey recovered in the recovery step.

3. A paste-type feed preparation step of mixing sea buckthorn into a paste-type feed containing pollen and honey for feeding to prepare a paste-type feed, A mixed feed preparation process involves mixing sea buckthorn juice with honey or sugar water for feed to create a liquid mixed feed, The system comprises a feeding step of giving the paste-like feed or the mixed feed to bees, and a collection step of collecting the honey produced by the bees that were given the paste-like feed or the mixed feed in the feeding step, A method for producing honey, characterized in that, in the feeding step, a container containing the paste-like feed is placed on a slatted platform provided at the top of the beehive and having gaps large enough for bees to pass through, the paste-like feed is given, and the mixed feed is given using a bee feeder placed in front of the entrance to the beehive.

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