Pollen-based feed

Abstract

The present invention relates to pollen-based compositions, particularly feed formulations prepared from pollen collected by honeybees, and methods for preparing the same. The present invention further relates to methods for maintaining the health of pollinators in honeybee / pollinator colonies by providing one or more pollen feed formulations for honeybees or pollinators. The present invention provides pollen feed formulations that do not easily break when placed in a beehive and can be fed by honeybees and bumblebees. [Solution] A pollen-based composition prepared with a tableting pressure of at least 10 kg / cm2. A pollen-based feed formulation which is a flattened pollen disc prepared with a pressure of at least 10 kg / cm2.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for preparing a dried pollen-based feed formulation for maintaining the health of pollinators. More specifically, the present invention relates to a dried pollen feed formulation prepared from pollen collected by bees and a method for preparing the same. The present invention further relates to a method for maintaining the health of pollinators in a bee / pollinator colony. [Background technology]

[0002] Pollination by wild bees is fundamental to the sustainable growth of various plant species and is crucial for ensuring sufficient yields in approximately 85% of food crops. Because they ensure reproduction in plants, pollinators are essential to the functioning of natural and agricultural ecosystems. Pollinators, in turn, benefit from pollination by harvesting nutrients necessary for their growth and health. For example, in honeybees, nectar, containing minimal concentrations of carbohydrates and proteins stored as honey, serves as energy fuel, while pollen provides most of the nutrients necessary for the physiological development of the bee queen and larvae. However, in recent years, a decline in the abundance and diversity of bee species has been reported at regional, local, and national levels across various continents. Plant and geographical origins, along with other factors such as atmospheric conditions, soil properties, and bee behavior, influence the chemical composition of bee pollen and its nutritional benefits.

[0003] Bee pollen contains vitamins, nutrients, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and a considerable amount of polyphenols, mainly flavonoids. Bee pollen originates from pollen that accumulates on the bee's body as it flies from flower to flower. When pollen is used as a protein source for larvae, the "pollen balls" formed by worker bees collecting pollen from flowers are collected using an accumulator attached to the entrance of the beehive in the bee colony. The collected pollen balls are then fed to the larvae in either fresh or dried granular form. Bee pollen is also used in diets as a nutritional supplement due to its beneficial effects on human diseases.

[0004] Pollen is also important at the colony level, considering its nutritional efficiency, as it enables young worker bees to produce jelly, which is then used to feed larvae, queen bees, male bees, and older worker bees. Therefore, the direct consequences of pollen deficiency are a decrease in colony population and possibly poor individual health, which can also affect the bees' tolerance threshold to pathogens or other stressors such as pesticides. Pollen intake is known to affect physiological metabolism, immunity, resistance to pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and microsporids, and to reduce sensitivity to insecticides. However, honeybees rarely face a complete lack of pollen in their environment; rather, they face variability in pollen quality, as well as the temporal and spatial availability of pollen resources in terms of quantity, type, and diversity. Furthermore, pollen can differ in terms of nutritional content between flower species, suggesting that some flowers are of better quality for bees than others.

[0005] The administration and preparation methods of pollen formulations for use in apiaries have been redundant. In the case of bumblebees, pollen pellets can be frozen and dried at low temperatures, or mixed with a sugar solution, kneaded, and then extruded to form tablets for use in feeding. In the case of honeybees, in addition to the same methods as for bumblebees, artificial feed made from soybeans may be used. Traditionally, fresh or dried pollen has been used as is for rearing honeybee and bumblebee larvae. Because it is granular, it takes time to feed the entire beehive or beekeeping unit, and pollen loss is likely due to leakage from the beehive. Processed products have mixing and extrusion processes, resulting in high manufacturing costs. Furthermore, artificial feeds used for the health of honeybees do not result in efficient larval development.

[0006] Techniques for forming pollen tablets with a diameter of several centimeters by mixing and extrusion techniques have already been disclosed. However, since two processes of mixing and extrusion are required, the manufacturing cost is high. There are patent documents (CN104886431A) and (CN1718195) regarding Chinese patent applications that disclose nutritional foods for human consumption. The tablet size is small (0.5 g) to enable only oral ingestion and cannot meet the nutritional requirements of bee colonies in beehives. Therefore, larger pollen tablets are preferred as bee nutrition. For this reason, different tableting techniques are required, and it is necessary to define the tableting pressure so that the tablets do not disintegrate during transportation or the like.

[0007] Object of the Invention An object of the present invention is to provide a process for preparing a pollen-based feed formulation for maintaining the health of pollinators.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a pollen-based feed formulation that is stable at room temperature, can be easily fed, suppresses the loss of pollen from the beehive due to leakage, is convenient for feeding a certain amount to honey bees or bumble bees, and is easy to monitor consumption.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a pollen feed formulation that does not easily break when placed in a beehive and can be fed by honey bees and bumble bees.

[0010] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method for maintaining the health of bees by providing excellent nutritional value suitable for the growth of larvae.

Summary of the Invention

[0011] In one aspect, the present invention provides a pollen-based feed formulation that is a flat pollen disk.

[0012] In one aspect, the present invention provides a pollen-based feed formulation that is a flat pollen disk prepared at a pressure of at least 10 kg / cm 2 .

[0013] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a minimum of 10 kg / cm³ 2 The present invention provides a pollen-based feed formulation in the form of tablets prepared with a tableting pressure.

[0014] In another embodiment, the present invention provides a pollen-based formulation that is stable at room temperature, can be easily fed, reduces loss from beehives due to leakage, is convenient for feeding a fixed amount to bees or pollinators, and is easy to monitor consumption.

[0015] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a process for preparing a pollen-based formulation for maintaining the health of bees / pollinators.

[0016] In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a method for maintaining the health of bees / pollinators. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] The following description is provided to aid in a comprehensive understanding of exemplary embodiments of the present invention. This specification includes various specific details to aid in its understanding, but these should be considered merely illustrative.

[0018] Therefore, those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications can be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, for clarity and brevity, descriptions of well-known functions and configurations are omitted.

[0019] The terms used in the following description and claims are not limited to their bibliographic meanings and are used solely to enable the inventors to understand the invention clearly and consistently. Accordingly, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of exemplary embodiments of this disclosure is provided for illustrative purposes only and does not limit the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0020] For the purposes of the following detailed description, it should be understood that the present invention may envision various alternative modifications and process sequences, unless otherwise explicitly specified. Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, except in any example of operation, all numbers representing quantities of materials / components used herein should be understood in all cases as being modified by the term “approximately”.

[0021] Therefore, before describing the present invention in detail, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to particularly exemplified system or process parameters, which are naturally subject to change. It should also be understood that the terms used herein are for the purpose of describing embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way. The use of examples anywhere in this specification, including examples of any terms discussed herein, is illustrative only and does not limit the scope and meaning of the present invention or any exemplified terms.

[0022] Note that, when used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" refer to multiple objects unless the content explicitly indicates otherwise.

[0023] The terms “preferred” and “preferred” refer to embodiments of the present invention that may provide specific benefits under specific circumstances.

[0024] When used herein, terms such as "comprising," "including," "having," "containing," and "involving" should be understood to mean non-restrictive, that is, to include in an unrestrictive manner.

[0025] In this specification, the terms “apiary” or “apiary” refer to a colony, beehive, beehive unit, and other equipment assembled in one location for beekeeping operations.

[0026] In this specification, the term "tableting pressure" refers to the weight (tons) setting of a tablet press for producing eight pollen tablets with a diameter of approximately 30 mm when compressed, or cm 2 This refers to the weight (kg) corrected for surface area. For example, a weight setting of 10 tons means 177 kg / cm². For example, the table below shows the tablet pressure at different settings.

[0027] [Table 1]

[0028] In this specification, the term "disintegration pressure" refers to the pressure (N / cm²) measured by a hardness tester to disintegrate a tablet. 2 ) refers to.

[0029] As used herein, the terms “beekeeping unit” or “beekeeping unit” or “beekeeping box” refer to a beekeeping box having a beekeeping chamber located in the lower center of the unit, further chambers above and partially to the sides of the beekeeping chamber, separated therefrom by a frame having a series of slots, one chamber on each lower side of the beekeeping box and one chamber partially below the beekeeping chamber, with a series of slots formed in the partitions that form the walls of the chambers, each allowing honeybees to freely access one part of the beekeeping box from another.

[0030] To “control” or “control” a parasite means to inhibit and / or suppress the ability of the parasite to grow and / or reproduce, or to limit fungal-related damage or loss to crop plants, or to control and prevent a disease. Control effects include all deviations from natural occurrence, such as the killing, delaying, or reduction of disease-causing mites.

[0031] As used herein, the term “location” refers to the vicinity of a beehive, including beehive colonies, beehives, and beehive units.

[0032] The term "bee" includes honeybees, bumblebees, wasps, or any organism called a bee that is involved in nectar collection, honey production, and pollination.

[0033] honeybee Honeybees that can be fed these pollen tablets include the European honeybee (Apis mellifera) (including 24 subspecies) and the Eastern honeybee (Apis cerana) (the Japanese subspecies, the Japanese honeybee (Apis cerana japonica)).

[0034] Bumblebee Bumblebees that can be fed these pollen tablets include: European bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) (8 subspecies, including the British subspecies Bombus terrestris audax and the Southern European / Middle Eastern subspecies Bombus terrestris dalmatinus), black bumblebee (Bombus ignitus), Hokkaido bumblebee (Bombus hypocrita) (including the Hokkaido subspecies Bombus hypocrita sapporoensis), Nosappu bumblebee (Bombus florilegus), Hokkaido bumblebee (Bombus ardens) (including the Hokkaido subspecies Bombus ardens sakagamii and the Tsushima subspecies Bombus ardens tsushimanus), and Bombus hyponorum. Koropokkurs, Bombus beaticola (including the Hokkaido subspecies Bombus beaticola moshkarareppus), Bombus honshuensis, Bombus schrencki, Bombus deuteronymus (including the Honshu subspecies Bombus deuteronymus maruhanabachi), Bombus pseudobaicalensis, Bombus diversus (including the Hokkaido subspecies Bombus diversus tersatus), Bombus ussurensis, Bombus consobrinus Bombus wittenburgi), Bombus yezoensis, Bombus canariensis, Bombus impatiens, Bombus vosnesenskii, Bombus huntii, Bombus atratus, and Bombuseximius can be cited.

[0035] Surprisingly, the inventors have arrived at a pollen tablet formulation by a simplified manufacturing process for feeding beehives and beekeeping units. The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a pollen composition by tableting. The pollen-based formulation of the present invention can be stored at room temperature, can be easily set as a feed in large beehives or beekeeping units, and its stability and tensile strength suppress losses from the beehive due to leakage, are convenient for transportation, facilitate a certain amount of feeding to honeybees or bumblebees, and are easy to monitor consumption.

[0036] Surprisingly, this pollen tablet composition does not easily disintegrate even when tabletted under a pressure of 5 tons or more, and even at a tabletting pressure of 20 tons, honeybees and bumblebees can easily ingest this tablet while breaking it with their large jaws, suppressing losses from the beehive due to leakage, and can be stored at room temperature. Bumblebees can use the pollen tablets as feed, and the larvae can develop without problems, thus solving the problem of providing a solid tablet composition for maintaining the health of bees in large beehive units.

[0037] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a pollen-based feed formulation that is a flat pollen disk prepared under a pressure of at least 10 kg / cm 2 .

[0038] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a pollen-based feed formulation that is a flat pollen disk prepared under a pressure in the range of 10 kg / cm 2 to 600 kg / cm 2 , 10 kg / cm 2 to 400 kg / cm 2 , 25 kg / cm 2 to 350 kg / cm 2 , 50 kg / cm 2 to 300 kg / cm 2 , and 150 kg / cm 2 to 300 kg / cm 2 .

[0039] In another embodiment, the present invention provides at least 10 kg / cm³ 2 The present invention provides a pollen-based feed formulation in the form of tablets prepared with a tableting pressure.

[0040] In one embodiment, the present invention is 10 kg / cm 2 ~600kg / cm 2 , 10 kg / cm 2 ~400 kg / cm 2 , 25 kg / cm 2 ~350 kg / cm 2 , 50 kg / cm 2 ~300 kg / cm 2 , and 150 kg / cm 2 ~300 kg / cm 2 The present invention provides a pollen-based feed formulation that is a tablet prepared with a tableting pressure within the specified range.

[0041] In one embodiment, the present invention provides at least 10 kg / cm³ 2 The present invention provides a pollen-based composition prepared with a tableting pressure.

[0042] In one embodiment, the present invention provides at least 10 kg / cm³ 2 The present invention provides a pollen-based tablet formulation prepared with a tableting pressure of [specified pressure].

[0043] In one embodiment, the present invention provides at least 10 kg / cm³ 2 The present invention provides a pollen-based tablet formulation prepared with a tableting pressure of [specified pressure].

[0044] In one embodiment, the present invention is 10 kg / cm 2 ~400 kg / cm 2 The present invention provides a pollen-based tablet formulation prepared with tableting pressures within the specified range.

[0045] In one embodiment, the present invention is 25 kg / cm 2 ~350 kg / cm 2 The present invention provides a pollen-based tablet formulation prepared with tableting pressures within the specified range.

[0046] In one embodiment, the present invention is 50 kg / cm 2 ~300 kg / cm2 The present invention provides a pollen-based tablet formulation prepared with tableting pressures within the specified range.

[0047] In one embodiment, the present invention is 100 kg / cm². 2 ~300 kg / cm 2 The present invention provides a pollen-based tablet formulation prepared with tableting pressures within the specified range.

[0048] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a dried pollen-based tablet formulation.

[0049] In one embodiment, the present invention is a process for preparing a pollen-based feed formulation, wherein the formulation is at least 10 kg / cm³. 2 The present invention provides a process that includes compressing pollen granules to specific dimensions under pressure to provide flattened pollen discs.

[0050] In one embodiment, the present invention provides at least 10 kg / cm³ 2 Preferably 10 kg / cm³ 2 ~400 kg / cm 2 The present invention provides a process for preparing a pollen-based tablet formulation, which includes compressing pollen granules to a specific size under pressure to provide pollen tablets.

[0051] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a process for preparing a dried pollen-based tablet formulation, which includes compressing pollen granules to a specific size with a pressure of 1 to 5,000 tons to provide pollen tablets.

[0052] In one embodiment, at least eight tablets can be manufactured simultaneously, with compression pressures of 88, 177, 265, 354, 442, and 531 kg / cm², respectively. 2 That is the case.

[0053] In one embodiment, the present invention is 10 kg / cm 2 ~400 kg / cm 2 The present invention provides a pollen-based tablet formulation prepared with tableting pressures within the specified range.

[0054] In one embodiment, the present invention is 25 kg / cm2 ~350 kg / cm 2 The present invention provides a pollen-based tablet formulation prepared with tableting pressures within the specified range.

[0055] In one embodiment, the present invention is 50 kg / cm 2 ~300 kg / cm 2 The present invention provides a pollen-based tablet formulation prepared with tableting pressures within the specified range.

[0056] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a pollen-based tablet formulation with weights of 0.001g to 600g, 0.01g to 500g, 0.1g to 400g, and 1g to 200g.

[0057] In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a pollen-based tablet formulation weighing 1 g to 100 g.

[0058] In another embodiment, the present invention provides a pollen-based tablet formulation having a thickness of 1 cm or more.

[0059] In another embodiment, the present invention provides a pollen-based tablet formulation having a thickness of 1 cm to 100 cm.

[0060] In one embodiment, the pollen tablet has the following characteristic advantages. (i) Pollen tablets can be stored at room temperature without denaturing proteins by using low-temperature dried pollen. (ii) Pollen tablets are standardized through quantification, making it easy to adjust the feeding amount. (iii) The pollen tablets are manufactured under pressure that allows them to be destroyed by the large jaws of honeybees and bumblebees, but does not easily disintegrate. (iv) Pollen tablets are low-cost and have excellent nutritional value suitable for larval growth.

[0061] In this invention, since the pollen was formed using a tablet press, the pollen did not leak out of the beehive even after feeding.

[0062] In another embodiment, the present invention includes adding a binder to the formulation. In one embodiment, the binder is selected from the group comprising hydroxypropylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, PVA, and glucose, lactose, fructose, mannitol, sucrose, dextrin, and other sugars, preferably hydroxypropylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, PVA, dextrin, more preferably carboxymethylcellulose, dextrin, and combinations thereof. However, these examples are not limiting, and the binder may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0063] In one embodiment, the binder is present in a concentration of 0.1 to 10% by weight, preferably 0.2 to 5% by weight, and more preferably 0.5 to 5% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition.

[0064] The addition of a binder can improve the disintegration of pollen tablets and reduce the compression pressure required.

[0065] In one embodiment, the pollen-based feed formulation optionally includes a binder, which can reduce the tableting pressure to 5t, preferably 2t or less.

[0066] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method for maintaining the health of bees or pollinators, comprising providing one or more pollen-based feed formulations to bees or pollinators, wherein the formulations are prepared at a pressure of at least 10 kg / cm2.

[0067] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method for maintaining the health of bees or pollinators, comprising providing one or more pollen-based feed formulations to a beehive unit, wherein the formulations are at least 10 kg / cm³. 2 A method is provided for preparation under pressure.

[0068] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method for maintaining the health of bees or pollinators, comprising providing one or more pollen discs in a beehive unit, wherein the composition is at least 10 kg / cm³ 2 A method is provided for preparation under pressure.

[0069] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method for maintaining the health of bees or pollinators, comprising providing one or more pollen tablets to a beehive unit, wherein the composition is at least 10 kg / cm³. 2 A method is provided for preparation under pressure. [Examples]

[0070] Example 1 Preparation of tablet formulations Using a tablet press, 15g of pollen was added to a tablet hole adjusted to a diameter of 30mm and a depth of approximately 40mm. The tablet was then compressed at 5t, 10t, 15t, 20t, 25t, and 30t to produce pollen tablets with a diameter of approximately 30mm and a height of approximately 20mm. Since eight tablets could be manufactured simultaneously, the compression pressures were 88, 177, 265, 354, 442, and 531 kg / cm², respectively. 2 It can be calculated as follows.

[0071] [Table 2]

[0072] Disintegration test 1 (sensitivity test) The tablets at each compression pressure were pressed with a finger to examine their disintegration properties.

[0073] Disintegration test 2 (hardness tester) The hardness of the tablets was also measured using a hardness tester. A 20mm diameter metal disc was placed on top of the tablet, and pressure was applied from above the metal disc using the hardness tester. The pressure at which the tablet disintegrated (N / cm²) was measured. 2 The hardness of the hardness was measured. An Analab hardness tester was used for the test.

[0074] Transportation Test The tablets, pressurized at each compression pressure, were placed in plastic bags, packed into cardboard boxes, and transported 100km by truck.

[0075] [Table 3]

[0076] The above experiments revealed that at least 10 tons of pressure is required to prepare pollen tablets that do not easily disintegrate.

[0077] Example 2 Each compressed tablet prepared in Example 1 was fed to a beehive (manufactured by Koppert BV) containing 50-60 worker bees of bumblebees (Bombyx mori) three times a week for three weeks, and pollen consumption, nest development, and feed leakage from the beehive were examined.

[0078] Comparative Example 1 For normal pollen granules, a test was conducted using 15g of the corresponding feed pollen weight three times a week for three weeks in a bumblebee hive (manufactured by Koppert), and pollen consumption, nest development, and feed leakage from the hive were checked.

[0079] [Table 4]

Claims

1. At least 10 kg / cm³ ２ A pollen-based composition prepared with the following tablet compression pressure.

2. At least 10 kg / cm³ ２ A pollen-based feed formulation which is a flattened pollen disc prepared under pressure.

3. The pollen-based composition or the flattened pollen disc contains at least 10 kg / cm² ２ The composition or compound according to claim 1 or 2, which is a tablet prepared with the following compression pressure.

4. The composition or formulation according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the composition or formulation further comprises a binder.

5. A process for preparing a pollen-based feed compound, wherein the amount is at least 10 kg / cm³. ２ A process comprising compressing pollen granules under pressure to provide flattened pollen discs.

6. The process according to claim 5, wherein the process includes adding a binder to the formulation.

7. The process according to claim 5, wherein the flattened pollen disc has a thickness of 1 cm to 100 cm.

8. A method for maintaining the health of bees or pollinators, comprising providing the bees or pollinators with one or more pollen-based feed formulations, wherein the formulations are at least 10 kg / cm³ ２ A method prepared by the pressure of [a certain pressure].

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