Abstract
Propolis is a sticky material collected by bees from plants, and used in the hive as building material and defensive substance. It has been popular as a remedy in Europe since ancient times. Nowadays, propolis use in over-the-counter preparations, “bio”-cosmetics and functional foods, etc., increases. Volatile compounds are found in low concentrations in propolis, but their aroma and significant biological activity make them important for propolis characterisation. Propolis is a plant-derived product: its chemical composition depends on the local flora at the site of collection, thus it offers a significant chemical diversity. The role of propolis volatiles in identification of its plant origin is discussed. The available data about chemical composition of propolis volatiles from different geographic regions are reviewed, demonstrating significant chemical variability. The contribution of volatiles and their constituents to the biological activities of propolis is considered. Future perspectives in research on propolis volatiles are outlined, especially in studying activities other than antimicrobial.
Highlights
Bees have been in existence for over 100 mill years, and have become a perennial species that can exploit virtually all habitats in the world
Propolis is a bee product of plant origin, at different geographic locations the source plants might vary with respect to the local flora
Chemical diversity of propolis volatile oils from different geographic regions Many authors, in the introductions of their research articles on propolis claim that propolis contains up to 10% volatile oils, referring to data from articles published in the period 1908 – 1948 [1]
Summary
Bees have been in existence for over 100 mill years, and have become a perennial species that can exploit virtually all habitats in the world. Propolis is a bee product of plant origin, at different geographic locations the source plants might vary with respect to the local flora. Propolis contains secondary plant metabolites, including volatiles, but they are produced by different plant species and are not the same all over the world. In other regions of Europe, the chemical composition of the volatile oils showed some differences (Table 1). This could be due to the fact that other plant species could be playing an auxiliary role as propolis bearing plants: e.g. Cupressus sempervirens in Greece with major essential oil constituent α-pinene [47], as in the studied Greek propolis samples [26]. Cistus ladanifer and propolis samples [28] from the south regions of Portugal were characterized with a major volatile constituent viridiflorol [48], etc
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