Food potential of honeybee brood explored

Copenhagen, Denmark – A Danish study is exploring the potential of honeybee brood – honeybee eggs, larvae and pupae – as a staple food and source of protein.

“Standard methods for Apis mellifera brood as human food,” by Annette Bruun Jensen of the University of Copenhagen, is published in the Journal of Apicultural Research.

Insects hold enormous potential to address food and nutritional security issues. The honeybee is a key insect, given its importance for pollination, as well as its products which can be directly consumed, like honey, pollen and brood.

Research on edible insects is an emerging field that draws upon methods and techniques from related fields of research, the paper’s abstract says.

According to the abstract, the paper provides recommendations and research protocols focused on the production of worker and drone brood for human consumption, brood harvesting, nutritional aspects of brood, sensory analyses of brood and brood products, and its gastronomic applications.

The research is expected to help determine the edible potential of honeybee brood.

The paper is available here.