Brazilian Brown Propolis: an Overview About Its Chemical Composition, Botanical Sources, Quality Control, and Pharmacological Properties

Abstract

Brazil is one of the largest propolis producers in the world. Propolis is produced by bees from plant exudates and tissues, leading to many variations in the types of propolis. Generally, Brazilian propolis types are green, brown, and red. Despite not being the main research focus as the green and red propolis, brown propolis is the second most produced propolis type in Brazil and has tremendous economic and medicinal importance. Propolis has drawn attention with the rise in the search for healthier lifestyles, functional foods, biocosmetics, and natural products as therapeutic sources. This review covers the main chemical constituents identified in different types of Brazilian brown propolis, and their botanical sources, chemistry, and biological activities. The economic aspect of brown propolis is also presented. There are many gaps to be filled for brown propolis regarding the development of analytical methods, and quality control to allow its standardization, limiting its applicability in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Future perspectives regarding brown propolis research were discussed, especially biological activities, to support the medicinal uses of different types of brown propolis. Graphical Abstract Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43450-023-00374-x.

Potential Antidiabetic Activity of Apis mellifera Propolis Extraction Obtained with Ultrasound

“…These results are lower than those presented by [23], where a sample of propolis from China was studied, which reported 24,584 mg GAE/100 g; on the other hand, Zainal et al [45] reported ranges from 7621 to 9294 mg GAE/100 g for propolis from Malaysia. Bees collect resin from different plants, so the variability of the chemical compounds in propolis could be directly related to the availability of the vegetation where the hive is located [46]. One of the main factors in obtaining bioactive compounds is the extraction method, which is studied and compared, concluding that ultrasound extraction is the best alternative by establishing the appropriate conditions [20,47,48].…”

Synergistic Antioxidant Activity in Brazilian Propolis Extract Blends: An <i>in Vitro</i> Study

“…Brazilian green propolis, produced mainly in southeastern Brown Brazilian propolis is attributed to the class with this color found throughout the country, although its composition is still little known given the territorial extent [25]. Brazil is a country of continental proportions and one of the most megadiverse places in the world, with over 40,000 different plant propolis, representing 20% of the world's flora [26] [27].…”

“…Over half of the plants in Brazil are endemic and only occur in this country [27]. Hence, the number of brown propolis chemotypes is not only expected to be proportional to this diversity, but also reveals new phytochemical profiles [25] [28] [29]. As studies on the composition of Brazilian brown propolis advance, new chemotypes have been found, such as propolis with high prenylated benzophenone content (Amazon region, northern Brazil) [30], propolis with high acidic diterpene content (Araucaria forest, southern Brazil) [31], and propolis with high benzyl benzoate and benzyl salicylate content in the essential oil fraction (Mata Atlantica, southeastern Brazil) [32].…”

“…As studies on the composition of Brazilian brown propolis advance, new chemotypes have been found, such as propolis with high prenylated benzophenone content (Amazon region, northern Brazil) [30], propolis with high acidic diterpene content (Araucaria forest, southern Brazil) [31], and propolis with high benzyl benzoate and benzyl salicylate content in the essential oil fraction (Mata Atlantica, southeastern Brazil) [32]. New research aimed at evaluating the bioactive properties, composition, and botanical origin of brown propolis can help strengthen knowledge about its identity [25].…”