The Characterization and Bioactive Composition of Turkish Propolis

The main aim of this study is tocharacterise Turkish propolis and to determine the bioactive composition of it.86 different propolis samples were collected from 25 different provinces inTurkey. Chemical, microscopic and functional properties of Turkish propolishave been determined. Also Turkishpropolis was compared propolis types from other countries.Each sample was analyzed for moisturecontent, beeswax content, total phenolics, antioxidant activity, flavonoidprofile, pollen profile and mineral content. Moisture, ash and beeswax contentwere analyzed by AOAC934.01, IHC methods, respectively. Total phenoliccontents, antioxidant activities and flavonoid profile were analyzed by FolinCiocalteu, DPPH using Spectrophotometer and by HPLC-PDA, respectively. Possiblebotanical sources of the samples were investigated using microscopic method andmineral contents were determined using ICP-MS. It was determined that the results varydepending on flora, season and climate conditions. It was specified that theflavonoid profile of Turkish propolis showed differences from other types ofpropolis. With flavonoid profile analysis, totally 38 different bioactivecompounds were analyzed. Caffeic Acid, p-Coumaric Acid, Ferrulic Acid,M-Coumaric Acid, 3,4-Dimethoxy Cinnamic Acid, trans-Cinnamic Acid, Pinobanksin,Quercetin, Naringenin, Luteolin, Genistein, Hesperetin, Kaempferol, Apigenin,Pinocembrin, CAPE, Chrysin and Galangin were mainly determined in TurkishPropolis. Possible botanical sources of propolis were determined as Pinus spp., Salix spp., Castanea spp.,Eucalyptus spp., Quercus spp. and Populus spp.. Different regions mainly contains Iron,Chromium, Copper, Calcium, Magnesium, Selenium, Manganese and Zinc. It wasspecified that flavonoid content of Turkish propolis showed differences fromother propolis types.