When bee bread appears in the house from a store or recently collected, the question arises of where to store the product and for how long it can be eaten. Not many people know that existing varieties of this “bee bread” require different conditions in order to maintain maximum beneficial properties. Here you will have to take into account not only the temperature, but also the level of humidity, as well as lighting.
Best before date
Since it is impossible to properly store bee bread at home without creating a special climate, it is worth knowing what exactly will help preserve the product. If these rules have not been followed for any reason, it is prohibited to use this product within a day or two. Depending on the form in which the bee bread will be left for preservation, it is worth focusing on the expiration dates:
- Properly preserved honeycomb can remain edible for 6 months. If there are deviations from the temperature, and it is not easy to maintain it, then the period is greatly reduced.
- A well-chosen method for storing the ground product, honey is mixed with it to increase the shelf life. The liquid part acts as a preservative and prevents the entire paste from spoiling for a long time. As a result, if you follow all the rules, you can eat it for one year.
- The granulated variety involves dried products that can remain useful from 12 months to several years.
If all conditions are met, the product can be either taken orally or used for other therapeutic, preventive, and nutritional purposes. It is often recommended to glue sticks onto beebread packaging so that the shelf life can be accurately controlled, because the date of packaging and end of use is written on the piece of paper.
Useful properties of bee bread
Bee bread is a beekeeping product made from bacteria, pollen, yeast and insect saliva. Due to the content of lactic acid, it has a solid structure. People also call bee bread as bee bread. Its distinctive feature is its rich composition, including many amino acids, vitamins, enzymes and minerals. Despite the abundance of various components, the beekeeping product is completely absorbed by the digestive system. The healing properties of bee bread include the following:
- cleansing the body of toxins and waste;
- strengthening the immune system;
- normalization of metabolic processes;
- lowering cholesterol levels;
- protecting the body from exposure to radiation;
- rejuvenating effect;
- restoration of adrenal function;
- assistance in weight loss;
- improvement of visual function;
- stimulation of physical and mental abilities;
- acceleration of regenerative processes.
The taste of the granules depends on the place and time of collection of raw materials. Important! After eating bee bread, you should not eat for half an hour.
Storage conditions
Since you need to know how to store beebread at home, each owner needs to understand the principle of preparation and climate.
It includes:
- absence of high air humidity, since its presence promotes the development of fungus and other undesirable microorganisms;
- protection from direct light, especially sunlight, this creates an incorrect reaction;
- in some cases, mandatory ventilation is required - for dry mixtures;
- in other situations, the characteristics of the product require a very cool and temperature-free environment.
How long beebread is stored in the refrigerator or cabinet depends on what conditions are created.
Temperature
Temperature conditions directly affect the preservation of nutrients in the beekeeping product and its shelf life. This is important, since it makes no sense to take it under other circumstances: it will not give a positive effect, and may even cause harm. To maximize its potential, beebread is stored in the refrigerator (preferably in a drawer) if it comes in a variety such as honeycomb or paste.
Paste-like products require a minimum of 2 degrees Celsius, it can fluctuate up to 4. But honeycombs are a little less demanding, since they only need to be at a positive temperature, but not higher than 5. Granules can be stored in room conditions.
Humidity
Many people underestimate the importance of air humidity indicators, since storing bee bread at home is already difficult. However, this is one of the fundamental conditions, because if dampness gets inside the container, pathogenic microflora will begin to develop there. It can harm the body, especially if there are no external signs of its change yet.
For any bee bread, both stored in honeycombs and paste-like or granulated, air humidity should not exceed 30%. This is an optimal barrier that prevents unnecessary neoplasms and preserves the composition of beekeeping products in a safe form.
Light
Direct sunlight negatively affects natural “bee bread”; it loves a dark place where there is no light at all. It is necessary to think about a box for placing containers in it so that you can close it and take it out as needed for a short time. Sometimes a dark glass dish with a dark lid or an opaque container is sufficient.
Common Mistakes
When storing bee bread, many people make common mistakes:
- place the product in non-airtight packaging;
- do not comply with temperature parameters;
- ignore optimal humidity levels;
- expose the product to ultraviolet radiation;
- store the substance in large volumes.
In order to preserve the freshness of beebread for a long time, it is worth providing it with suitable conditions. It is recommended to monitor temperature and humidity indicators. The beekeeping product must be kept in a dry, well-ventilated area. It is recommended to keep it in a dark place.
Storage Features
For each variety, you need to find your own approach to how to store bee bread at home, because in any home there is a corner for this useful product. In addition to the main indicators: shelf life, temperature, humidity and light, there are a number of storage features. They will help make the venture as fruitful as possible.
In the honeycomb
Honeycombs are a place where bees collect their “bread” for the winter and early spring, until the flowers bloom. But you should not rely on the reliability of their work. As practice shows, they sometimes do not clog the surface enough, and wax moths appear.
To prevent this, it is recommended to cover the surface with an additional layer of honey. It preserves and preserves the contents from destruction and damage longer.
Ground
They are honey with ground honeycombs and “bee bread” inside them. The result is a paste that can be stored a little longer than honeycombs in its pure form.
In this case, there should be no more than a third of the total mass of honey, and the paste-like mixture is especially “afraid” of sunlight, so you should not leave it there.
In granules
They are made from the same contents of the honeycomb, only it goes through several degrees of purification from various unnecessary elements. Then it is thoroughly dried and placed in the form of granules in a dry jar. The container must be ventilated so that dampness does not stagnate, and there is no need to refrigerate the mixture in granules.
Otherwise, this variety is not picky. She does not need a special mark on the thermometer or absolute darkness, short storage. But it will still be correct to attach a sticker with expiration dates.
Tips for use
It is preferable to take bee bread on an empty stomach with water. Do not mix this substance with other bee products. Later you can drink some milk or eat a spoonful of honey. The dosage depends on the age category, body weight and some other factors. But under any circumstances, the daily intake should not exceed 1 tsp.
To prevent hypervitaminosis, do not take bee bread for more than a month. Between courses it is necessary to take a break, the duration of which is at least 10 days. Regardless of what type of bee bread you choose, strictly follow all storage conditions. How long the unique product will retain its beneficial properties depends on this.
Containers and places
Experienced users of beekeeping products willingly tell you how to store beebread at home and how to protect yourself from unforeseen situations. In addition to complying with the conditions, it is worth thinking about the packaging. It is advisable not to place a large amount in a large container and leave it for storage.
A competent approach is several small jars that meet the basic parameters:
- integrity;
- dryness;
- purity;
- tightness - in some cases;
- not too large in size - compact, etc.
And it is not recommended to place a container with dry bee bread on the door, since the temperature difference is extremely undesirable.
How to properly store it in the refrigerator
The refrigerator is used only for honey-preserved products. It is wiser to keep granular balls in other rooms. High humidity and unfortunate “neighbors” on the shelf lead to rapid deterioration. Plus, with each extraction into heat, condensation forms.
The honey mixture is securely sealed and placed on a shelf. If necessary, we take it out, collect the required amount, and return it immediately. A significant disadvantage is rapid hardening. We recommend choosing containers with a wide neck. Do not separate with a knife or fork. Only wooden spoons, spatulas, chopsticks.
Increased shelf life
In addition to knowing how to store and dry such products, you should consider the duration of use. After all, often, if such products enter the house, it is in considerable quantity, and it will last for a long time. In such a situation, it is worth increasing the shelf life of beebread not by placing it in the refrigerator in honeycombs, but in paste form or granules. After all, honey allows you to preserve useful elements in the product for a long time, and the dry mixture also lasts longer.
So, beebread as a beekeeping product is used not only as food, but also as medicine, but it cannot be stored in the same way as simple honey. After just a couple of days of unsuitable conditions, its composition loses its beneficial components and becomes unsafe for health. Large volumes should be cleaned, dried into granules, or mixed with honey to provide yourself and your loved ones with a quality product rich in microelements and vitamins, which has healing properties.
Granules or powder
It is most convenient to take bee bread in dry form. It is often sold in granules: small hexagonal cylinders extracted from the honeycomb and thoroughly dried. In addition, for greater convenience, the dried granules are crushed to a powder and in this form are packaged in very small doses.
Powder or granules must be stored in an opaque sealed container with the possibility of complete isolation from the following external factors:
- High humidity. Prolonged contact with air with a humidity of more than 15% provokes an increase in bacterial activity and, as a result, beebread can become moldy and begin to decompose, because it contains a lot of protein.
- Ultraviolet. All beekeeping products have a peculiarity - with prolonged exposure to sunlight, they lose all their beneficial properties.
- Products with a strong aroma. When dry, it very quickly absorbs odors from the external environment.
Drying bee bread
