The effect of royal jelly on growth, development, and survival of the silkworm,
Bombyx mori, was tested by the use of artificial diets, containing mulberry leaf powder, starch, sucrose, defatted soybean casein, soybean oil, Wesson's salt mixture, and cellulose powder. At first, fresh royal jelly was added into diets, but later the lyophilized one was mostly used.The efficiency of the diet increased, though slightly, when it contained a large amount of royal jelly (Fig. 1 and Table 2). Subsequently, lyophilized sample was separated into two fractions, ether-soluble and ether-insoluble. A large dose either of ether-soluble fraction (from 30 to 120mg per6g dry diet, especially 120mg, Fig. 2 and Table 3) or of ether-insoluble fraction (from 0.1 to 0.6g per 6g dry diet, especially over 0.2g, Fig. 3 and Table 4) was more or less effective for the increase in larval weight, survival, and instar progression.
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