Determination and confirmation of methyl p-hydroxybenzoate in royal jelly and other foods produced by the honey bee.

Methyl p-hydroxybenzoate (methyl paraben) in foods produced by the Honey Bee was determined by HPLC and confirmed by GC-MS. The compound was detected at a mean concentration of 22.3 +/- 6.8 mg/kg (between 14.2 and 31.9 mg/kg) in commercial royal jelly, but was not detected in honey, propolis or pollen lumps at the detection limit of 1 mg/kg. Fresh royal jelly collected from apiaries contained methyl p-hydroxybenzoate at a concentration of 20.3 +/- 4.7 mg/kg (between 12.5 and 31.7 mg/kg). These results indicate that the methyl p-hydroxybenzoate in royal jelly is not added but is a natural component.