pollen

[jdpro5010]

How does everybody insure that the pollen they are feeding still contains all the nutrients?  I have heard that if you trap pollen that you need to freeze it immediately to maintain freshness.  If freezing is that critical how do you sell it or feed it. Do you sell it  in the frozen state?  How do you feed it and maintain the nutrients?

[jdpro5010]

Ah come on guys help a poor fellow out! :-D

[Sparky]

Pollen in and of itself lasts a long time. It's not subject to many of the decay factors that other organic materials suffer. Pollen grain's are covered with a very resistant surface that does not decompose easily. Bee Pollen is collected by the Universal Super Trap. The bees pass through it. The trap allows sufficient pollen to pass through the grids into the colony for the feeding of the bees, and insures the harvesting of the driest, cleanest pollen possible. Moisture-laden wet pollen from low-lying humid areas ferments quickly, or develops mold. This type of pollen must be heat-treated immediately to preserve it for use. But high heat processing kills the enzymes and reduces the nutrient value considerably.

When bee pollen is improperly stored and handled, it will lose up to 76% of its nutritive value within twelve months. The only satisfactory method of preserving fresh, live bee pollen is flash-freezing at zero degrees to maintain hive-freshness indefinitely and to preserve all vitamins, minerals and other nutrients intact.

[Irwin]

I vac seal it.

[Sparky]

Irwin . I think vac seal would be a good way to store it providing it did not have much moisture in it. Even if it is dried a bit in a window on some paper towels first to make sure it is not to moist. Some more experienced handlers than myself may have a quick check method to ensure this is not the case.