Can You Freeze Bee Pollen? – How To Store Fresh Bee Pollen In The Freezer?

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Can You Freeze Bee Pollen?: In recent years, bee pollen has emerged as a highly sought superfood because of its health properties. Are you wondering about the shelf life, freezing, spoilage, defrosting, or storage of bee pollen? Well, you have arrived at the right place. Let’s dive right into finding all the details related to the shelf life of bee pollen.

Does bee pollen go bad? Unfortunately, bee pollen does have an expiration date, but it will last longer than you might think. Fresh bee pollen’s lifespan depends heavily on how it is stored. Since the pollen is pure plant material, it is technically a living product, similar to cut flowers.

Can You Freeze Bee Pollen

Can You Freeze Bee Pollen?

Yes, you can definitely freeze bee pollen.If kept out of the refrigerator or freezer, fresh bee pollen is only good for a few days or so before it begins to diminish in quality. So whenever you purchase fresh bee pollen, remember to stick it in the fridge for a long shelf life.

As soon as you have your bee pollen, it’s recommended to refrigerate it right away. Alternatively, you can then wrap your granules tightly and store them in the freezer to extend their shelf life even further. The cold will preserve the bee pollen for much, much longer.

When kept in the refrigerator, bee pollen will have a shelf life of about 1 year. Bee pollen can also be stored in the freezer, which will keep its quality for about 2 years. Continue reading the article to know the proper method of freezing your bee pollen.

How To Freeze Bee Pollen?

The best way to ensure that bee pollen is safe to consume after several months is to freeze it. If you want to freeze an unopened jar of bee pollen, place the jar directly in the freezer as soon as you receive it, as this will ensure it stays fresher for longer. If you want to freeze an open jar of bee pollen, here’s what you need to do:

Step 1: Choose the right container

You will have to select an appropriate container to store the pollen if you have removed it from its initial jar or just collected it yourself. A Tupperware box is sufficient for storing bee pollen, or you can use a glass jar if you prefer.

Step 2: Wrap

Before freezing bee pollen in an airtight container, it’s recommended to wrap it in foil to offer it an extra layer of protection from freezer burn. You should then place it in the airtight container and seal the lid tightly.

Step 3: Label and Freeze

Write the date of freezing along with the use-by date on the lid, and then place your bee pollen in the freezer. Remember, you can freeze the bee pollen for around a year.

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How Long Can You Freeze Bee Pollen?

You can freeze bee pollen for about a year. Bee pollen stored in the fridge should be good for about a few months, but if you keep it at room temperature, you will need to use it within two days. Therefore, make sure you store bee pollen in the fridge or freezer as quickly as you can, as this will prevent it from spoiling and ruining its health benefits!

Bee Pollen Shelf Life
In the freezer About 1 year

Tips For Freezing Bee Pollen

The following tips are strongly recommended to be followed when freezing bee pollen to have the best results:

  • Store Right Away: If you keep bee pollen at room temperature, it will start to deteriorate almost immediately and should be used within two days. Therefore, it’s really important to refrigerate or freeze it right away for long-term preservation.
  • Preserve Its Health Benefits: Bee pollen is rich in nutrients and can be used as a dietary supplement to treat a broad range of conditions, including arthritis, allergies, and high cholesterol. It’s a worthwhile addition to your diet for its incredible health benefits, so store it properly to have it readily available.
  • Ways To Use The Leftover Bee Pollen: Bee pollen can be used in multiple ways. One of the easiest ways to use it is by sprinkling it onto cereals, yogurts, or homemade granola. Alternatively, bee pollen can be baked into different recipes.

Does Bee Pollen Go Bad?

Yes, bee pollen does expire. Depending on how you store it, the bee pollen can last for months or years, but eventually, it gets a rancid taste. However, if you store it sensibly, it cannot deteriorate in such a way that you can get sick from it.

Generally, in food processing, spoilage means something becomes poisonous when it goes bad. However, in some cases, the shelf life is just a nominal number that people put on a product to suggest that it will taste best before this date. For example, if you eat salt that is past its expiration date, it will kill you no faster than salt before its expiration date.

However, if you buy a beef steak, and it says “consume before” and you keep it for a month longer and eat it, there is a very good chance you will get ill. In the sense of the above, bee pollen does not go bad. If you store it sensibly, it will, with time, just taste worse. This means that, with time, the bee pollen will expire, as we have mentioned, and it will then get a rancid taste and lose much of its nutritional value.

How Do You Defrost Bee Pollen?

Luckily, you don’t necessarily need to defrost bee pollen—you can use it directly from the freezer for many purposes. However, if you want to thaw the frozen pollen first, you should transfer it from the freezer to the fridge the night before you plan to use it. Be aware that you should never thaw bee pollen at room temperature, as this will cause it to spoil.

Can You Refreeze Bee Pollen?

There’s nothing wrong with freezing bee pollen more than once if you have thawed it in the fridge. If you’ve left bee pollen sitting out at room temperature for any longer than a day or so, it won’t be safe to refreeze and will face the threat of spoilage.

Follow our articles on Can you Freeze Tempeh to refer to the entire freezing methods involved and how it can impact shelf life of the food.

Does Bee Pollen Freeze Well?

Yes, storing bee pollen in the freezer is the best way to store it as it preserves all of the nutrient goodness within. You need to be careful with how you store the bee pollen, as you don’t want to ruin its various health benefits. You can also keep bee pollen in the fridge for several months, but either way, just don’t store bee pollen at room temperature!

How To Extend The Life Of Bee Pollen?

As mentioned earlier, we know that bee pollen does expire. Then the next question is: can we extend the life of bee pollen? Yes, there are multiple ways to increase the shelf life of bee pollen.

Did you know the single biggest cause of pollen degradation with time is the oxidation of lipids/fats? Thus, if you prevent exposure to air, you reduce the rate at which degradation happens. This can be achieved in a number of different ways, like, You can store the pollen in airtight bags, sucking out the air, and then sealing the bags. Freezing pollen will preserve it for a long time if you keep it in a tightly sealed bag.

FAQs On Freezing Bee Pollen

1. What happens if you don’t refrigerate bee pollen?

Raw bee pollen does have a long shelf life. If it has remained at room temperature, you need to consume it within a few days. If you kept it in the fridge or had frozen bee pollen, it would keep for several months.

2. Can bee pollen be eaten raw?

Yes, bee pollen can be eaten in its raw granule form or taken as a pill like other natural supplements. Most bee pollen found in health food stores has been dried, thus having a harder texture. Fresh bee pollen tastes slightly sweet with a tinge of bitterness.

3. How do you use frozen bee pollen?

You can use frozen bee pollen in recipes like smoothies, and yogurt or sprinkle them on cereals.

4. What happens if you take too much bee pollen?

If you happen to eat too much bee pollen you might experience the symptoms like muscle weakness, skin rash, nausea, swelling or trouble breathing, numbness, etc.

Wrapping Up

We hope this article has helped you understand more about pollen. If you want to consume bee pollen for the benefit of your immune system, freezing or refrigerating it is the best way to keep it handy. If you try to freeze bee pollen using our tips, do share your experience in the comments section. Keep following our latest blogs like Can you Freeze Devilled Eggs and many more.

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