• METATECHNE ENTERPRISE
• April 26, 2023

Antioxidant activity of stingless bee propolis using different extraction methods

Syahariza, Z. A. and Shee Kee, L.

Food Technology Division, School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, MALAYSIA

International Journal of Engineering Advanced Research

eISSN: 2710-7167 | Vol. 4, No. 4, 1-15, 2022

This research discusses two types of extraction methods used to extract bioactive compounds from propolis:

1. Hexane pretreatment: This method involves using hexane as a solvent to remove the wax from the crude propolis before extracting bioactive compounds with ethanol solvents.
2. Ethanol extraction: This method involves using 70% ethanol or absolute ethanol as a solvent to extract bioactive compounds from crude propolis.

Both methods were evaluated to determine their effectiveness in extracting bioactive compounds from propolis, and the article discusses the effects of different ethanol concentrations and the use of hexane pretreatment on the extraction efficiency of bioactive compounds.

However, it does not provide a clear indication of the best propolis extraction method as different extraction methods were evaluated with varying results. The use of hexane pretreatment and different ethanol concentrations had different effects on the bioactive compounds in propolis, as determined through TPC, TFC, and DPPH scavenging activity. Therefore, further in-depth qualitative and quantitative investigations are required to evaluate the efficiency of different extraction methods for propolis.

Key research conclusions:

● Propolis is a mixture of resins from plants and bee wax that contains bioactive compounds

● Crude propolis requires solvents to remove wax and extract bioactive compounds

● Hexane pretreatment can affect the extraction of bioactive compounds from propolis

● 70% ethanol and absolute ethanol are used as solvents for extracting bioactive compounds from propolis

● Hexane pretreatment lowers the total flavonoids content in absolute ethanolic propolis extract, but has no significant effect on the total phenolic content (TPC)

● There is no significant difference in TPC between the use of 70% ethanol and absolute ethanol, with or without hexane pretreatment

● Antioxidant activity of propolis varies depending on the solvent used and whether hexane pretreatment is applied

● 70% ethanol without hexane pretreatment results in higher DPPH radical scavenging activity compared to absolute ethanol without hexane pretreatment

● Due to the variety of compounds found in propolis, it is difficult to determine which ones are primarily responsible for antioxidant activity, hence further investigations are required

● Hexane pretreatment and the type of solvent used for extraction exhibit different effects on the bioactive compounds present in propolis.