doi:10.

1017/S004393391800048X

Prospects of royal jelly as a potential

natural feed additive in poultry diets
M. SAEED1, S.A. KALHORO2, M. NAVEED3, F.U. HASSAN4, M. UMAR5,
M. RASHID2, S.A. MEMON2, F. SOOMRO7, M.A. ARAIN5 and S. CHAO1*
1
Department of Animal Nutrition, College of Animal Sciences and Technology,
Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China, 712100; 2Faculty of Agriculture,
Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Sciences, 3800 Uthal,
Balochistan, Pakistan; 3Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Basic Medicine
and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, School of Pharmacy,
Jiangsu Province, 211198, PR China; 4Institute of Animal and Dairy Sciences,
Faculty of Animal Husbandry, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan;
5
Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lasbela University of Agriculture,
Water and Marine Sciences, 3800, Uthal, Balochistan, Pakistan; 6Department of
Poultry, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, 44511 Zagazig, Egypt;
7
Department of Veterinary parasitology, Faculty of Animal Husbandry and
Veterinary Sciences, Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam, Pakistan
*Corresponding author: sunchao2775@163.com

Royal Jelly (RJ) is product from bees that is used to feed larvae in the hive as well as
a main nutritional source for the queen honey bee. It has various important
biological activities including as an antioxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-
inflammatory, antimicrobial, cholesterol-lowering, and growth promoter activities
and has the ability for inhibition of certain enzymatic degradation. It can be used
for the improvement of growth performance, gut health and quality and safety of
animal products in poultry due to its antioxidant and immune modulating
properties. The antioxidant activity of RJ is mainly due to the presence of
polyphenolic compounds. It is an excellent source of B and C vitamins and folic
acid. The mineral profile of RJ is useful as it contains major macro and micro
minerals. Studies conducted on supplementation with RJ in poultry diets have
shown a significant increase in body weight, egg production, and immune levels
and is especially useful in organic production. Supplementation of RJ at the level of
10 and 15 mg/kg in layer diets positively influenced egg weight (by 5.0% and 4.8%
respectively), egg production (10.5% and 11.0% respectively), weight gain of hens
(7.0% and 6.5% respectively) and yolk pigmentation (9.5% and 9.7% respectively).
Total leukocyte and erythrocyte counts in the diet containing 200 mg/kg RJ were
significantly higher than the diet contained 100 mg/kg or the unsupplemented
control group. However, the heterophil/lymphocyte ratio and heterophil percent
were reduced in RJ-fed groups. Supplementing poultry diets with RJ offers an
opportunity to maximise profit from safe and high quality poultry production.

© World's Poultry Science Association 2018

World's Poultry Science Journal, Vol. 74, September 2018
Received for publication August 23, 2017
Accepted for publication May 31, 2018 1
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 Royal jelly in poultry nutrition: M. Saeed et al.

Keywords: royal jelly; feed additive; growth promoter; meat quality; antimicrobial;
poultry nutrition

Introduction
Honey and bee products have a very rich history of use in traditional medicine in humans
but recently, various products like beeswax, pollen, RJ, venom and propolis, have
attained more research focus. The raw materials, crude extracts and purified active
compounds in bee products have revealed interesting bioactivities such as anti-
inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant activity (Ramadan and Al-Ghamdi, 2012;
Premratanachai and Chanchao, 2014).
Royal jelly is a milky substance that is secreted and produced by the worker bees to
feed the queen and larvae. RJ is derived from pollen by the bees hypopharyngeal glands
(Jalali et al., 2015). The larvae that develop into queens require eating royal jelly in large
quantities. The RJ generally contains proteins (27-41%), lipids (8-19%), free amino acid
(0.6-1.5%), sugars (~30%), enzymes, minerals, vitamins, sterols, acetylcholine and a
hormone-rich substance (Kamakura et al., 2001; Suzuki et al., 2008). It contains
compounds known as ‘major royal jelly proteins’ (MRJPs) that constitute 90% of the
total protein (Santos et al., 2005). The predominant amino acids (AA) in RJ include
lysine, proline, ß-alanine, aspartate, glutamic acid phenylalanine, serine, lysine, cysteine
and arginine (Boselli et al., 2003). Major carbohydrates in RJ are mainly glucose,
fructose, and sucrose; while maltose, melibiose, trehalose, ribose and erlose are also
present in traces (Sabatini et al., 2009). Lipids (80% and 90%) are mainly free fatty acids,
while the rest include neutral lipids, sterols and hydrocarbons (Kodai et al., 2007).
Almost all major the vitamins and minerals are present in royal jelly (Sabatini et al.,
2009; Abd-Allah, 2010), and it has an abundance of nucleic acids i.e. DNA and RNA
(Justin et al., 1996).
It has been demonstrated in many experiments that RJ possesses potential bioactivities
including anticancer (Townsend et al., 1960), anti-allergic (Okamoto et al., 2003), anti-
inflammatory (Kohno et al., 2004), antihypertensive, (Tokunaga et al., 2004) antioxidant
(Nagai and Inoue et al., 2006; Nakajima et al., 2009), antibacterial (Tseng et al., 2011) as
well as growth promoting and anti-hypercholesterolemic (Nagai and Inoue, 2004) effects
as shown in Figure 1. Royal jelly is an extremely potent antioxidant where it acts as a
free radical scavenger (Jalali et al., 2015) via its substantial level of polyphenolic
compounds (Viuda-Martos et al., 2008). It contains a specific unsaturated acid
hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (HDA), that is only naturally occurring in royal jelly (Seven
et al., 2014). This compound possesses a number of potential physiological effects
including, antimicrobial (Barnuţiu et al., 2011) and immune modulation. (Pavel et al.,
2011). Oral consumption of RJ improves metabolism of lipids and lipoproteins,
ultimately reducing levels of bad cholesterol in animal studies (Guo et al., 2007).
Keeping in mind the potent bioactivities of RJ, it could have potential applications in
animal health. This review summarises the beneficial uses and health benefits of RJ as an
alternative to either in-feed antibiotics or as a supplement that can be used for poultry.

2 World's Poultry Science Journal, Vol. 74, September 2018

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 Royal jelly in poultry nutrition: M. Saeed et al.

Figure 1 The pharmacological activities of Royal Jelly.

Chemical and nutritional composition

Royal jelly is a thick substance with a density of 1.1 g/ml and has a partial solubility in
water. Its appearance is whitish to yellow in colour. Its odour is sour and pungent, with
sour/sweet taste (Takenaka et al., 1986). Major components found in RJ are presented in
Tables 1, 2 and 3.

Table 1 Typical composition of royal jelly.

Items, % Fresh Lyophilised

Water 60 - 70 <5
10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid > 1.4 > 3.5
Protein 9-18 27 - 41
Lipids 3-18 9-18
Fructose, glucose and sucrose 7-18 -
Glucose 4-18 -
Fructose 3-13 -
Sucrose 0.5 - 2.0 -
Ash 0.8 - 3.0 2-5
pH 3.4 - 4.5 3.4 - 4.5
Adopted from (Sabatini et al., 2009).

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 Royal jelly in poultry nutrition: M. Saeed et al.

Table 2 The nutritional components of royal jelly.

Items g/100 g RDI (g/day)

Water 60-70 -
Proteins 9-18 50
Carbohydrates 11-23 320
Fats 3-8 80

Vitamins mg /100 g RDI *(g/day)

Niacin (B3) 4.5 - 19 15

Thiamin (B1) 0.1 - 1.7 1.1
Pyridoxine (B6) 0.2 - 5.5 1.4
Riboflavin (B2) 0.5 - 2.5 1.3
Pantothenic acid (B5) 3.6 - 23 6
Folic acid 0.01 - 0.06 0.4
Biotin (H) 0.15 - 0.55 0.045

Minerals mg /100g RDI* (mg/day)

Calcium (Ca) 25-85 1000

Potassium (K) 200-1000 2000
Zinc (Zn) 0.7-8 8.5
Copper (Cu) 0.33-1.6 1.2
Magnesium (Mg) 20-100 350
Iron (Fe) 1-11 12.5
As per German Nutrition Society (Serra Bonvehi and Escola Jorda 1991; Sabatini et al., 2009). RDI-
recommended dietary intake.

Table 3 Chemical composition (flavonoids, organic compounds, fatty acids and others) of royal jelly
assessed by GC-MS (Seven et al., 2014).

Bioactive components Retention time TIC1

Chrysin 36.337 0.847

Pinocembrin 33.502 1.842
Tectochrysin 35.114 0.382
Pinostrobin chalcone 32.176 0.735
Furfuryl alcohol 2.222 0.279
3-Hydroxydecanoic acid 16.924 1.494
10-Hydroxydecanoic acid 19.463 19.815
Oleic acid amide 32.398 0.692
Octanoic acid, 8-hydroxy-(CAS) 14.924 3.226
Hydroxymethylfurfurole 8.871 0.656
2-Penten-4-olide 2.896 4.110
Ostreasterol 44.099 1.924
3-Hydroxydiphenylamine 41.555 0.336
Glutaconicanhydride 3.891 1.024
TIC: The ion current generated depends on the characteristics of the compound concerned and is not a true
quantitation.

ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY
RJ shows strongest antibacterial activity compared to other bee products, like propolis
and venom (Enfeksiyonu and Arı, 2014). It inhibits both Gram-negative and Gram-
positive bacteria, but Gram-positive are more sensitive (Bílikova et al., 2015). The

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 Royal jelly in poultry nutrition: M. Saeed et al.

antibacterial activity is considered due to its 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA)

content (Serra Bonvehi and Escola Jorda, 1991). Water-soluble fractions of RJ
(peptides and proteins) have a strong bactericidal activity against Gram-positive and
fungi (Vezeteu et al., 2017). Potent bactericidal activity against Gram-positive bacteria
including Streptococcus, Lactobacillus helveticus, Clostridium, Leuconostoc,
Staphylococcus, and Corynebacterium spp. has been demonstrated in an in vitro study
but had no effect against Gram-negative bacteria (Fujiwara et al., 1990). The major acidic
contents of royal jelly (10-DHA) have promising antimicrobial activity against several
fungi and bacteria which included Escherichia coli, Micrococcus pyogenes, and
Neurospora sitophila (Blum et al., 1959; Stocker, 2003). These properties can
ameliorate issues of antibiotic resistance against Pseudomonas aeruginosa which is
increasingly encountered (Gunaldi et al., 2014). Moreover, it is reported that RJ,
positively decreased viral load when supplemented at a concentration of 100 μg/ml
(Hashemipour et al., 2014).

ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY
It has been reported that RJ collected after 24 hours of larval transfer possesses the
strongest anti-oxidant action (Jalali et al., 2015) which have been observed in extensive
in vitro studies conducted on yeast and plants (Jamnik et al., 2007) and in animal studies
(Kanbur et al., 2009). Inhibition of lipid peroxidation (LPO) has been observed along
with protection of tissue DNA against oxidative damage. The reduction in serum and
kidney levels of oxidative stress markers (8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine) reported can
lead to an average increase in life expectancy (Abdel-Hafez et al., 2017).

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY
RJ has strong anti-inflammatory properties due to its free radical scavenging ability and
anti-oxidative effects (Aslan and Aksoy, 2015) indicating its potential for use against skin
disorders. This strong anti-inflammatory response decreases exudation, leading to the
accelerated healing and new tissue formation. Hence it could be helpful for shortening of
time required for healing of damaged skin (Fuji et al., 1990).

IMMUNE-MODULATING ACTIVITY
The immune boosting effects of RJ are due to apalbumin1 (Majtan et al., 2006)
WHICH has immuno-inhibitory anti-allergic effects (Okamoto et al., 2003). Increases
in haematopoiesis and serum antibodies (α-1 and α-2 globulins) have been observed after
intake of RJ (Krylov and Sokolskii, 2000). RJ can induce the production of immune cells
(T-lymphocytes) to fight against pathogens and inflammatory agents owing to its 10-
HAD contents (Siavash et al., 2011). RJ contains a substantial quantity of gamma
globulins, amino acids, hormones, fatty acids (unsaturated), enzymes and anti-oxidants
(e.g. vitamin E and A) that support immunity (Pavel et al., 2011). Recently, modulation
of immune responses from T-cell and dendritic cell cultures has been observed by 10
HDA and 3-10-dihydroxydecanoic acid extracted from RJ. This response was in a dose
depended manner by stimulating T-cell proliferation at lower concentration but inhibiting
it at higher concentrations by reducing production of IL-2 while increasing IL-10
(Vucevic et al., 2007).

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
Royal jelly can lower levels of bad (e.g. low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) while
increasing levels of good cholesterol (high density lipoproteins). It can reduce plasma
fibrinogen and thrombosis (Table 3). These abilities are responsible for the cardio-
protective effects revealed in feeding experiments (Krylov and Sokolskii, 2000)

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 Royal jelly in poultry nutrition: M. Saeed et al.

manifested as anti-hypertensive and vasodilative properties (Chen et al., 2017). Hence,

RJ may be useful to combat obesity and metabolic disorders (Yoneshiro et al., 2017).

Performance and health in broilers

RJ is rich in energy, protein and vitamins (Vit. B complex), especially in pantothenic acid
which plays an important role in the immune system (Abd-Allah, 2010). Since ancient
times, RJ has been considered an important product from honey bees frequently used in
medicine. Use of RJ in broiler diets has been reported to cause a significant increase in
body weight and immunity levels (Osman and Elgadir, 2015). Supplementation with
Chinese-sourced RJ may alleviate the detrimental impact of high stocking density in
broiler chickens, as feeding trials showed it improved performance, behaviour and blood
indices under these conditions (Mahmoud, 2016). Moreover, it has shown a positive
effect on antibody production (Kurkure et al., 2000; Mufarrej and El-Sarag, 1997). RJ fed
at a dose of 500 mg/kg in feed increased final body weight in broilers (Seven et al.,
2016). In increasing early chick growth, Ahangari et al. (2013) showed that in ovo
injection of RJ at 7 days incubation exerted a beneficial effect on growth performance
in the starter phase. These results supported the theory that in ovo injection of RJ could
be an effective method to improve daily old body weight as well as the development of
internal organs in newly hatched chicks (Moghaddam et al., 2014). Injection of RJ in
broiler chickens increased the heterophil count and decreased the number of lymphocytes
when compared to a control group (Jafari et al., 2013). The fatty acids, organic
compounds and flavonoids in RJ have been shown to enhance the growth rate of
quail resulting in improved body weight, feed intake and feed conversion ratio.
However, the application of RJ in the poultry industry as a broiler immunostimulant
and to enhance growth for farming purposes requires further validation (Steel and Torrie,
1980), regarding doses, for example.

Performance and health in layer birds

Royal jelly is a safe natural product that stimulates the immune system as revealed by in-
vitro studies by expressing an elevated antibody response against natural killer (NK)-cells
(www.deeplyeal.com). It is rich in energy, protein and vitamins, especially pantothenic
acid which plays an important role in the immune system (Abd-Allah, 2010). White
Leghorn cockerels, where RJ was fed for 28 days, has an increase in circulating
lymphocytes and leucocytes and a decrease in serum globulin concentrations (Kurkure
et al., 2000). Feeding RJ to layers gave a significant increase in body weight, egg
production and immunity parameters (Osman and Elgadir, 2015). Supplementation of
RJ (100 mg/kg feed) increased body weight, lymphoid organ weight and antibody titre in
laying Japanese quails. These results may be attributed to the immunostimulant and
antimicrobial activity of RJ products (Babaei et al., 2016). Seven et al. (2016) stated
that the feed consumption of RJ supplemented poultry was significantly (P<0.05)
increased in comparison with a control group. In laying hens, there was no significant
effect of different feeding levels of RJ on eggshell weight and thickness (Seven et al.,
2016). The higher yolk and albumen indices in RJ- treated groups were consistent with
other findings (Arpášová et al., 2016). Feed supplementation with RJ at 10 and 15 ppm
increased egg weight and production along with an improvement of hen body weight
(Bonomi et al., 2000). Total leukocyte and erythrocyte counts in a diet containing 200
mg/kg were significantly higher than in birds fed a diet contained 100 mg/kg or the

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 Royal jelly in poultry nutrition: M. Saeed et al.

unsupplemented control group. However, the heterophil/lymphocyte ratio and heterophil

percentages were reduced in RJ-fed groups. In addition, the use of RJ improved egg
quality criteria and some blood haematological parameters. Haugh units, yolk index and
albumen height in RJ groups were significantly greater than those recorded in the control
(El-Tarabany, 2017).

Conclusions
Royal jelly is widely marketed as a dietary feed additive, due to its health benefits and
biological properties such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive,
antioxidant, and antitumor as well as growth promoting and anti-hypercholesterolemic
activities. RJ has potent bactericidal properties due to its acidic contents. Moreover, RJ is
an extremely efficient antioxidant and has noticeable free radical scavenging properties.
Due to its antimicrobial and immune modulating properties, it could be a promising feed
supplement in poultry nutrition, especially for organic chicken production where natural
products must be used. Potential supplementation of RJ as an alternative feed additive to
replace antibiotic growth promoters offers an opportunity to maximise profit from safe,
welfare friendly and high-quality chicken production. However, further studies are
required to elucidate the optimum inclusion rate of RJ in commercial poultry diets.

Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the grants from the Major National Scientific Research
Projects (2015CB943102) and the National Nature Science Foundation of China
(31572365) and Key Sci-tech innovation team of Shaanxi province (2017KCT-24).

Declaration of interest
The authors declare that there is no competing financial interest.

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