Overview
ISO 12824:2016 - Royal jelly - Specifications defines production, sanitary, organoleptic and chemical quality requirements for pure royal jelly. The standard covers collection, preliminary processing, packaging, marking, storage and transport, and specifies analytical test methods (annexes A–G) to control royal jelly quality. It does not apply to products where royal jelly is mixed with other foods.
Key topics and requirements
- Product description & organoleptic criteria: milky white to pale yellow, pasty/jelly-like, free from bubbles and foreign matter; pungent, unfermented odour and acrid/spicy taste.
- Chemical requirements (selected values from Table 1):
- Moisture: 62.0–68.5%
- 10‑HDA (10‑hydroxy‑2‑decenoic acid): min. 1.4%
- Protein: 11–18%
- Total sugar: 7–18%; Fructose and Glucose 2–9% each
- Total acidity: 30.0–53.0 ml (1 mol/L NaOH)/100 g
- Total lipid: 2–8%
- C13/C12 isotopic ratio (δ ‰): Type 1 −29 to −20; Type 2 −29 to −14
(Type 1 = bees fed only natural foods; Type 2 = bees fed natural foods plus other nutrients.)
- Hygienic requirements: total colony count ≤ 500 cfu/g; Enterobacteriaceae absent in 10 g; Salmonella absent in 25 g.
- Sampling & test methods: detailed methods in normative annexes for moisture (A), 10‑HDA (B), protein (C), sugars (D), acidity (E), lipids (F), isotopic ratio (G); informative methods include furosine (H) and pollen screening (I).
- Packaging, marking, storage & transport: food‑grade packaging; mandatory labeling (product name, producer, net weight, harvesting country/year, best-before, storage instructions, batch no., type); storage at +2 °C to +5 °C or preferably ≤ −18 °C for long-term; low‑temperature transport and segregation by batch.
Practical applications
- Quality control and acceptance testing for raw and packaged royal jelly.
- Laboratory testing: chemical composition, authenticity (C13 isotopic ratio), freshness (optional furosine), and microbiological safety.
- Process and supply‑chain requirements for beekeepers, co‑packers, exporters/importers, retailers and food safety auditors.
- Regulatory compliance reference for national food authorities and trade partners.
Who should use this standard
- Beekeepers and royal jelly producers involved in collection and preliminary processing.
- Food testing laboratories and quality assurance teams.
- Food safety regulators, importers/exporters and private‑label brands selling pure royal jelly.
Related standards
Keywords: ISO 12824:2016, royal jelly specifications, royal jelly quality, 10‑HDA, moisture content, organoleptic, C13 isotopic ratio, pollen screening, food safety, packaging and storage.