Comparison of chemical profile for propolis extracts from stingless bees using maceration and ultrasonic-assisted extraction.

Abstract

Nowadays, propolis is getting more attention by the public due to its remarkable bioactivities. The extraction technique and its solvent system play an important role in obtaining a good quality of propolis extract. The present study investigated the quality of propolis extracted from two extraction techniques: maceration and ultrasonic-assisted extraction in water and 20% aqueous ethanol. The yield of propolis extract was found to be 4.2 % - 6.9 %. The results found that ultrasonic-assisted extraction using 20% aqueous ethanol showed the highest content of phenolics (17.043 mg GAE/g), flavonoids (0.83 mg QE/g) and tannins (5.411 mg GAE/g), as well as showed the highest antioxidant capacity (IC50 = 333.85 ppm). The outcome of this study revealed that the high phenolic composition of stingless bee propolis extract could be recovered and possibly used as the natural source of bioactive constituents for bioproduct formulation and development.