MINERAL COMPOSITION OF BEES AND BEE PRODUCTS UNDERFEEDING WITH CERIUM DIOXIDE

Abstract

The search for effective means to prevent diseases of honey bees is a relevant task today, as Ukraine is among the top five producers and exporters of honey to the international market. The use of nano preparations for preventive purposes against viral diseases of bees, as well as for enriching bee products with biologically active compounds, is becoming increasingly widespread. One such means is cerium nano-compounds, particularly its dioxide, which possesses unique antioxidant properties beneficial for both bees and consumers of bee products. The research aimed to investigate the effect of feeding bee colonies with honey containing cerium dioxide on the quality of honey, mineral composition of bee bodies, honey, and beeswax. The research was conducted in 2023 at the National Scientific Center "Institute of Beekeeping named after P.I. Prokopovich." For the study, two groups of bee colonies of medium strength were formed by the method of analog groups: control and experimental. Spring feeding of bee colonies was carried out with honey containing cerium dioxide at a dose of 1 mm once a day for 14 days, calculated at 1 kg per colony. Control bee colonies were fed natural honey. The quality indicators of honey were determined according to current regulatory documents, and the content of chemical elements (Ce, Mg, Zn, Se) in bee biological substrates, honey, and beeswax was determined by optical emission spectroscopy with inductively coupled plasma on the "Ortima 2100 DV" device (USA). Feeding bee colonies with honey containing cerium dioxide significantly did not affect the moisture content, proline content in bee honey, and diastase activity of honey. At the same time, an increase in cerium content in bee bodies by 6.2 times (p≤0.05) was found, against a decrease in magnesium content by 13.8% (p≤0.05) and selenium by 14.5% (p≤0.05) compared to the control group. The zinc content in bee bodies under the influence of cerium dioxide did not change. The ability of cerium to accumulate in bee honey under the feeding of bee colonies with honey containing cerium dioxide was proven. At the same time, an increase in cerium content in bee honey by 8.6 times (p≤0.05) against a stable level of magnesium, zinc, and selenium compared to the control group was found. The use of honey containing cerium dioxide for feeding bee colonies practically did not affect the magnesium, zinc, and selenium content in beeswax but contributed to an increase in cerium content in beeswax by 1.9 times (p≤0.05) compared to the control group. A strong degree of dependence of cerium content in beeswax on its content in bee bodies was found, with r=0.77. The reliability of the approximation is R2 =0.78, that is, 78% of the research data describe this dependence. The obtained research results demonstrate the ability of bees to assimilate cerium nano-compounds and produce honey and beeswax enriched with cerium, which can be used in the prevention of disturbances in the antioxidant status of the human and animal body.