Royal jelly, also called the queen of all bee products, is a treasure trove of nutrients and energy for the human body.

One of the most important compounds in royal jelly is the unsaturated fatty acid 10-HDA (10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid) which is not known to exist anywhere else in nature, and it cannot be synthetically produced. The content of 10-HAD in royal jelly depends on the origin and properties of bees. Fresh royal jelly contains >1.4%, while lyophilized royal jelly contains >3.5% 10-HDA.

Since this compound is specific to royal jelly, it is considered to be the primary parameter of quality and authenticity of royal jelly. The high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique has become the standard procedure for the assessment of quality of royal jelly, and the determination of 10-HAD in royal jelly and products with royal jelly. Many biological and therapeutic effects of royal jelly have already been scientifically confirmed, and the highest biological activity of royal jelly has been attributed to 10-HDA.

Numerous studies have confirmed a range of positive effects of 10-HDA from royal jelly:

• Anti-bacterial effect on both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria,
• Immunomodulation action that increases immune resistance
• Stimulates the production of brain cells
• Anti-tumour activity
• Anti-diabetic activity
• Stimulates the production of collagen that is important to maintain younger-looking skin

The processing of royal jelly is a long and expensive process, and as a result fake products are an issue that is a serious threat to quality. Royal jelly and products containing royal jelly should declare the 10-HDA content, otherwise you can be sure that this has been replaced with another ingredient, such as yogurt, corn starch or unripe bananas.