Ethanolic Extracts Of Propolis Samples Research Articles

Antioxidant activity of propolis of various geographic origins

Propolis is a resinous substance collected by honeybees from various plant sources. The antioxidant activities of propolis of various geographic origins, i.e., Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China (Hebei, Hubei, and Zhejiang), Hungary, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, Uruguay, United States, and Uzbekistan were compared. Ethanol extracts of propolis (EEP) were prepared and evaluated for antioxidant activities of EEP samples by the β-carotene bleaching and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay systems. Major constituents were identified in EEP by HPLC analysis with photo-diode array (PDA) and mass spectrometric (MS) detection, and quantitatively analyzed. EEP from Argentina, Australia, China, Hungary and New Zealand had relatively strong antioxidant activities, and were also correlated with the total polyphenol and flavonoid contents. Propolis with strong antioxidant activity contained antioxidative compounds such as kaempferol and phenethyl caffeate.