A comparative study of solvent effect on propolis extraction by ultrasound-assisted extraction

Abstract

Propolis is a natural bee product obtained from beehives as raw propolis. Propolis extracts obtained from raw propolis with different polarities solvents are used as food supplement agent. The composition of propolis extracts depends on the raw propolis species, extraction methods and extraction solvent. In this study, it is expressed how the phenolic composition of propolis extracts varies depending on the solvent polarity used. The ultrasonic-assisted maceration technique was used to extract an Anatolian raw propolis sample with five different polarity solvents, namely water, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, and n-butanol using sequential and gradual extractions. The extraction capacity was evaluated by total phenolic substance content (TPC), total flavonoid substance content (TFC), individual phenolic compounds, and antioxidant capacity. The phenolic compositions were analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC-PDA) according to the twenty-five phenolic standards. As a result, it was determined 70% ethanolic extract was contained the highest phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity.