Standard methods for Apis mellifera propolis research

BANKOVA ; BERTELLI; BORBA ; CONTI; DA SILVA CUNHA ; DANERT; EBERLIN; ISLA ; MORENO; PAPOTTI ; POPOVA; SANTIAGO; SALAS ; SAWAYA ; SCHWAB; SFORCIN ; SIMONE-FINSTROM ; SPIVAK ; TRUSHEVA; VILAS-BOAS ; WILSON; ZAMPINI

JOURNAL OF APICULTURAL RESEARCH

INT BEE RESEARCH ASSOC

Año: 2016 p. 1 - 49

0021-8839

Propolis is one of the most fascinating honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) products. It is a plant derived product that beesproduce from resins that they collect from different plant organs and with which they mix beeswax. Propolis is a build-20 ing material and a protective agent in the bee hive. It also plays an important role in honey bee social immunity, and iswidely used by humans as an ingredient of nutraceuticals, over-the-counter preparations and cosmetics. Its chemicalcomposition varies by geographic location, climatic zone and local flora. The understanding of the chemical diversity ofpropolis is very important in propolis research. In this manuscript, we give an overview of the available methods forstudying propolis in different aspects: propolis in the bee colony; chemical composition and plant sources of propolis;25 biological activity of propolis with respect to bees and humans; and approaches for standardization and quality controlfor the purposes of industrial application.