Bashkir honey will be delivered to astronauts at ISS

UFA, 13 November 2018. /Bashinform News Agency/ translated by Tatiana Aksyutina/. The next batch of Bashkir honey - about 50 kg - is being prepared for shipment to the Biryulevsky Experimental Plant, which produces food for astronauts, the director of the "Bashkir Honey" company Rishat Galeev informs.

The company has been delivering honey to astronauts since 2002. According to Rishat Galeev, only Bashkir honey is supplied to orbit and is used in post-flight rehabilitation of cosmonauts. The space industry representatives are confident in its quality. The batches are small - delivery of each kilogram of space food to the orbit costs 10 thousand dollars. “We send astronauts our ordinary flower honey from the most reliable Bashkir apiaries. Its quality is highly appreciated each time by the space laboratory”, said Rishat Galeev. The Bashkir honey is packaged into tubes at the plant for more convenient use at the orbit.

The entrepreneur also spoke about the plans for deliveries to Arab countries. For more active promotion in the foreign market, the republic needs a laboratory to examine the Bashkir honey for the presence of antibacterial drugs traces. Honey is checked for the presence of pollen from genetically modified plants, the residual amount of pesticides, drugs, in particular, antibiotics, the presence of alkaloids, radionuclides and other toxic substances.

Currently, the republic has purchased equipment for such a laboratory, which will be located in the settlement of Chishmy. It is necessary to conduct training of employees and pass international accreditation. In the meantime, suppliers of honey from Bashkiria send test batches for analysis to the laboratories of Germany, Belarus, and the United Arab Emirates, which is associated with high costs. One such analysis costs at least 45 thousand rubles, Rishat Galeev said. Thus, Bashkir beekeepers wait for launching a full-fledged laboratory in Bashkiria.