Almost all beekeeping products are used by humans, so it is not surprising that beehive and pollen are of great interest to both beekeepers themselves and people who have nothing to do with this type of activity. From this article you will learn how these products differ, what benefits they have, and how they can be used to improve health.

Description and characteristics of substances

Perga and pollen are similar in composition, but at the same time they have their own individual characteristics, which should not be forgotten. To optimize their effect on the body, it is worth understanding these basic characteristics.

Did you know? The most expensive honey in the world is Elvish, as it is extracted in a cave at a depth of 1800 m. For 1 kg of such goodies they give $ 5000- $ 6800, but this is not the final price.

Perga

Perga (aka bee or rye bread) is the final product obtained after processing insects collected pollen. Before it takes its final shape, it must take time for the substance collected by the bees to be in completely sealed cells filled with honey. The influence of insect saliva and the active activity of microorganisms present in the combs contribute to the development of a preservative substance - lactic acid, which preserves the indicated mass.To taste, the finished product in many ways resembles rye bread with honey, due to which the bee bread got its second name. After proper preparation, this substance can serve as an excellent dietary supplement, an ingredient in the preparation of medicines or an additional element of cosmetics.

Pollen

Bee pollen (pollen) is a microscopic seed under the shell, which, due to the characteristics of the parent plants, can have a different shape and size. Having stained their hairy legs in them, the bees moisturize this powder with a secret from the jaw glands, sprinkle with nectar and make baskets, presented in the form of sticky lumps located in the area of ​​the legs. It is because of the location of pollen around the legs of bees that it got its second name - pollen. Subsequently, pollen enters the hive and participates in various biochemical processes.

What is the difference between pollen and pollen

The first and clearly noticeable difference between pollen and pollen in its appearance, and if these substances are studied in laboratory conditions, chemical inaccuracies in their composition will become noticeable.

Appearance

Usually pollen - This is a loose granular mass, close in size to individual lumps of millet grain. Its color varies from brownish to orange or sand, although the option of green, fawn, purple or even black color, with a predominance of a specific shade, is not excluded. All lumps of pollen are solid to the touch and do not fall apart when rubbing with your fingers (they can be crushed only by pressing a hard object). The smell is sweetish, the taste is spicy, but sometimes a slight bitterness or slight sourness is allowed.

Did you know? During a day, one bee leaves the hive about 50 times, flying around 600 flowers during this time. However, in order to stockpile 1 kg of pollen, the insect will have to fly out of the house at least 50 thousand times.

Appearance pergi difficult to determine, because in this case it all depends on the method of extraction of the substance. It can be sold both in pure form or mixed with wax in sealed honeycombs. Pure substance has the form of multi-colored layered columns - granules. The color of each layer varies from light or bright yellow to dark brown, but often the substance shimmers with all amber shades. To improve commercial qualities and useful properties, finished granules are often poured with honey.Since under the influence of air and high humidity, some of the benefits may be lost. This method of product extraction is characterized by the high complexity of the process, therefore, in small apiaries, they often resort to grinding honeycombs with bee bread, further filling the obtained parts with honey. Separate, unopened pieces of the honeycomb honeycombs can also be filled with honey, because of which it will definitely not be possible to see the true appearance of the honeyfish.

Chemical composition

The biochemical composition of pollen and bee bread has a lot in common, but at the same time, the mass fraction of individual components can have its own differences. Common constituent elements for both substances will be:

• ascorbic and nicotinic acids, vitamin A and B vitamins, rutin and vitamin E;
• proteins and amino acids, in particular, and essential ones that enter the body along with food;
• fats and fat-like elements: fatty acids, lipids, terpenes and phospholipids;
• carbohydrates, most notably glucose and fructose;
• mineral components (magnesium, sulfur, phosphorus, potassium) and ash;
• lactic acid, which not only guarantees the fermentation process, but also prevents the appearance of mold on food products made with its use.

Important! Young, recently harvested bee bread is much healthier than the old, so you should not buy dried or frozen food. With sharp temperature changes, a significant part of the useful substances leaves the product.

Despite the fact that many of the constituent components of bee bread and pollen are the same, they cannot be called identical, because the mass part of various substances is not the same.

An approximate percentage of bee bread and trimmings looks like this:

In addition, there are some other differences between the described substances:

• the pollen is first saturated with carbohydrate compounds of nectar, and then honey, and their total proportion is 35%, while pollen does not exceed 19% of carbohydrates;
• due to enzymatic processes in bee bread there is less fat, but lactic acid in the final product is almost 6 times more than in pollen;
• the acidity of bee bread is 4.3 pH, and mash - 6.3 pH;
• the percentage of ash content of the pollock is 2.43%, and the pollen is 2.55%.

Application

In its pure form, pollen is mainly used for cosmetic and medical purposes, but to improve health and well-being, it is more often used pollen. The maximum positive effect can be achieved only if you know exactly how best to eat bee bread. With limited enzymatic treatment, it cannot be completely split by gastric juice, therefore, before taking the beef, it is worth pouring it in water and waiting for swelling, or drinking it with a glass of water.

Important! Unlike honey and other bee products, bee bread does not cause allergic reactions, so even allergy sufferers can use it in moderation.

For convenience, pollen is often mixed with honey (1: 1) and after that it is added to tea or eaten in its original form. In this matter, it is important only to adhere to the recommended doses and not to harm your health with an excessive amount of bee products. An adult will be enough 1 tsp. pergi per day, which is better to eat half an hour before the main meal. The optimal dosage of bee pollen is the same 1 hour per day, only you need to eat it an hour before meals, dissolving with honey or adding the honey mixture to drinks.

Origin

Pollen gets into the hive from the flowers of various plants that bees visit during the day. Sitting on a flower, insects stain their paws in it, and in order not to lose a dusty load on their way home, they form small lumps out of it and place them in special baskets on their hind legs. Returning to the hive, the bee finds a free cell and moves the collected product into it. In the future, other bees are engaged in pollen extraction, which crush the brought lumps, firmly lay them in the cells and, pouring honey on top, clog it with wax (air should not get inside).Perga appears a little later, when in the process of canned pollen storage inside the cell, fermentation processes begin with the active production of lactic acid. To obtain high-quality bee bread, fermentation processes must last at least three weeks, then pollen with a limited shelf life turns into the same bee bread with a significantly longer shelf life. In fact, bee bread is a kind of canned food that insects need to survive in the absence of other nutrition.

What is more useful

Each of the described products has a lot of positive properties that have a beneficial effect on the human body. However, if you find out what is better, then the first place will be deservedly taken by the bee bread, because after the enzymatic treatment, the dressing only enhances its nutritional and vitamin properties. Bees themselves, who feed their offspring with precisely “canned” and not with fresh pollen, can also help verify this. According to apitherapists, bee bread is about 5 times more effective than pollen, and its digestibility is slightly higher.So, bee bread can be used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, in the prevention of tuberculosis and anemia, and also just to increase the tone of the body and improve the emotional state. Many beekeepers consider bee bread to be an excellent biostimulant that can even cope with infertility, prostatitis, and potency problems in men. For women, bee bread is also useful in cosmetology, as it helps to combat skin problems and is ideal for preparing various home creams and lotions.

Cooking recommendations

The best way to consume bee stew is to absorb it under the tongue, because in this way you can also strengthen your gums. The same applies to pollen, however, given its microscopic nature, it is wiser to pre-mix the product with honey in a 1: 1 ratio. Bee bread processed with wax is not as useful as a pure product, therefore it is often used for cosmetic purposes, preparing masks and lotions for the skin: in the simplest version, you can simply apply the product on the skin and wash it off with water after a while.It is impossible to freeze or over-steam the bee bread, as extreme temperature values ​​will significantly reduce its useful properties. Undoubtedly, both pollen and bee bread have a lot of positive properties, but in order to get the most out of them, you should choose only high-quality products, trying to avoid fakes. With proper collection and further storage, both products will serve as an excellent source of vitamins and useful mineral compounds that are so important for the human body.