Pollen analysis as a means to determine the geographical origin of royal jelly

In this study we investigated the use of pollen analysis as a method to determine the geographical origin of royal jelly. We recorded the pollen flora sampled by bees using pollen traps for two consecutive years and we also collected and examined royal jelly samples from the same apiary. For royal jelly production, bees mainly used the freshly collected pollen. All major pollen types that were recorded in the area using pollen traps were also detected in the royal jelly samples. Thus, pollen analysis can be used as a method to determine the geographical origin of royal jelly.