Astaxanthin Bee Bread with Hydrophilic Colloid
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Solution Overview
Problem
Natural bee bread insufficiencies lead to reduced bee royal jelly yield, larval numbers, and bee lifespan, necessitating supplementation with artificial bee bread, but existing artificial bee breads using different raw materials have inconsistent effects.
Innovation Solution
A bee bread formulation containing astaxanthin and hydrophilic colloid, composed of 50% pollen and 50% fermented soybean meal, with a preparation method involving crushing, fermentation, and mixing with astaxanthin and ethanol, followed by drying and the addition of xanthan gum or other hydrophilic colloids to enhance stability and nutrient retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If artificial bee bread is made using different raw materials to supplement bee protein, then the inadequacy of natural bee bread can be addressed, but the yield of bee royal jelly, number of larvae, and bee lifespan are influenced to some degree
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies precise parameter ranges for raw material composition (pollen 40-60%, fermented soybean meal 40-60%, sugar 5-15%, mineral mixture 2-5%, vitamin mixture 2-5%, amino acid mixture 2-5%) to standardize the artificial bee bread formulation, ensuring consistent nutritional supplementation effects across different batches and addressing the variability problem of using different raw materials
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite artificial bee bread formulation by combining multiple raw materials with complementary functions: pollen provides natural proteins, fermented soybean meal supplements amino acids, sugar provides energy, and mineral/vitamin/amino acid mixtures fill nutritional gaps. This composite approach ensures comprehensive and consistent nutrition for bees, improving reliability of the supplementation effect
2Quantity of substance
If astaxanthin is added to bee bread to enhance nutritional value, then bee health and productivity can be improved, but the astaxanthin is prone to oxidation and degradation, reducing its effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces hydrophilic colloids (xanthan gum, gelatin, carrageenan, pectin, Arabic gum, or guar gum at 0.05-0.1% concentration) as intermediary substances that form a protective matrix around astaxanthin particles. This colloidal protective layer acts as a barrier against oxidation and degradation, maintaining astaxanthin stability while preserving its nutritional benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses ethanol (50-100% concentration) as a solvent to create a controlled environment for astaxanthin dissolution and incorporation. The ethanol-based system provides a relatively inert environment that reduces oxidative exposure during the mixing and processing stages, helping preserve astaxanthin integrity before the hydrophilic colloid protective layer is formed
3Productivity
If artificial bee bread is used to supplement bee protein, then the yield of bee royal jelly and number of larvae can be increased, but the shelf life and preservation stability of the bee bread is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs fermentation of soybean meal using Bacillus subtilis to continuously produce beneficial enzymes and nutrients that not only enhance the nutritional value for bees but also create a preserved state resistant to spoilage. The fermentation process continuously generates lactic acid and other preservative substances that extend shelf life while maintaining productivity benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates mineral mixtures containing antioxidants (vitamin E, selenium) and vitamin C that create a chemically inert environment within the bee bread matrix, protecting against oxidative degradation during storage. This inert chemical environment maintains both the nutritional quality for bee productivity and the physical stability for extended shelf life
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The bee bread maintains astaxanthin stability for long-term preservation with minimal loss, significantly increasing royal jelly yield, larval numbers, and bee lifespan when fed to bees, with improvements ranging from 10.7% to 31% across various embodiments.
Implementation Method 1
the astaxanthin is closely combined with the base material of the bee bread, to prevent uneven layering and protect the present invention from oxidation
Implementation Method 2
uniformly mixing the above astaxanthin with a certain mass of ethanol aqueous solution, to prepare the astaxanthin-ethanol solution
Implementation Method 3
preparing hydrophilic colloid aqueous solution with the concentration of 0.05%-0.1%, adding the certain mass of the hydrophilic colloid aqueous solution to the mixture of the astaxanthin and the base material of the bee bread
Implementation Method 4
after the soybean meal is fermented by bacillus, drying, crushing and passing through the screen of 120 meshes
Data Source
AI summary
A bee bread containing a base material of the bee bread, the hydrophilic colloid, ethanol and water, and is prepared according to a certain preparation method. The bee bread containing the astaxanthin and the hydrophilic colloid has the advantages of long preservation time and small nutrient loss. The bee which are fed with the bee bread for a long time can effectively increase the yield of royal jelly and the number of larvae, and extend the life.