Dr. Albert Saenz of the Pasteur Institute in Paris provides us with much information on royal jelly, he wrote:
"Numerous studies ... demonstrate the existence of fractions in Royal Jelly which correspond to 97 percent of the substance, plus an undermined fraction whose very presence could explain the remarkable and mysterious properties of Royal Jelly." He continues, " Here's yet another product of the beehive with a touch of the bee's magic in it. I suppose some day science will figure out what these unidentifiable elements are and some researcher will try to manufacture them. Until then, the only place to get these mystery nutrients is from the bees."

So How is Royal Jelly Processed for Human Consumption? – Royal Jelly is a liquid containing approximately 67% water, and as such is prone to contamination once it is removed from the sterile environment of the beehive.

Once removed from the hive it must be processed quickly to prevent contamination, ideally within two or three hours. Processing generally involves one or a combination of the following steps:

• Treating the product with a chemical preservative.
• Lyophilizing the product (removing the water, often termed freeze-drying)
• Adding a natural preservative like honey.
• Freezing the substance or attempting to maintain it in a refrigerated state.

The favored process is lyophilizing or freeze-drying. This removes the water without effecting the nutrient quality of the product and creates a white powder which can be capsulated for human consumption. Once in capsulated form the product generally has a shelf life of 4 years and does not require refrigeration.

Many questions are raised about the nutritional quality of Royal Jelly, and usually relate to the issue of processing:- "freeze-dried versus non-freeze dried".

Freeze drying ‘locks-in’ the nutritional content of the product and removes any doubts about handling the product down the line. For example, if you choose liquid royal jelly which is sold as ‘requiring refrigeration’, how do you know that the product has been stored and transported in a refrigerated state, and that it isn’t in a partially decomposed state with diminished nutritive properties?

Summary of royal jelly information -

It is a veritable jewel of nutrition and recognized as a potent provider of energy, health and vitality.

It is rich in minerals, natural hormones, B vitamins, fatty acid, and folic acids, along with aspartic acid which is important for tissue regeneration and growth.

It contains all of the essential amino acids required to sustain life.