A Comparison between Characterization and Biological
Properties of Brazilian Fresh and Aged Propolis
Volume 2014 (2014), Article ID 257617, 10 pages
Objective. As propolis is a highly valued bee product, we
aimed to verify the quality of aged propolis, investigating their phenolic and
flavonoid composition, levels of toxic metals, radical scavenging and
antimicrobial activities.
Material and Methods. Samples of fresh and aged propolis of
six different beekeepers, from the same geographical location, were
investigated in terms of their phenolic and flavonoid composition and levels of
Pb, Cd, and Cr, as well as radical scavenging and antimicrobial activities.
Results. The two groups of propolis had similar qualitative
composition by HPLC-PDA and ESI(-)-MS. Fresh propolis and aged propolis show no
differences when average values of extraction yield, flavonoids, EC50, or MIC
were compared and both types of propolis showed good antimicrobial activity at
low concentrations. Only levels of phenolic compounds were higher in fresh
propolis.
Conclusion. The propolis samples considered in this study,
aged or fresh, had similar qualitative composition, although they were
collected in different periods. Samples only differed in their levels of total
phenolic content. Moreover, aged propolis conserves significant radical
scavenging and antimicrobial properties. We suggest that aged propolis should
not be discarded but explored for alternative applications.
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