Evaluation of (E)-10-hydroxydec-2-enoic acid as a freshness parameter for royal jelly

(E)-10-hydroxydec-2-enoic acid (10-HDA) is the main fatty acid present in royal jelly (RJ). Among the criteria for royal jelly quality analysis, 10-HDA content has been proposed as a freshness parameter. In this study, 10-HDA content variations under controlled temperature storage, were evaluated as an aging indicator of RJ samples from two origins (France and Thailand). For a 12 month period, the 10-HDA content loss rates were 0.1 and 0.2% at −18 °C and 4 °C, respectively, whatever the sample origin. At room temperature storage, losses were 0.4 and 0.6% for the French sample and the Thaı̈ sample, respectively. No correlation was found between 10-HDA content and storage duration whatever the storage temperature. Even if 10-HDA is specific to RJ, new criteria should be found to estimate the condition and duration of storage for royal jelly samples.