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Chemical Properties of Propolis Collected by Stingless Bees

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Pot-Honey

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the chemical composition of propolis collected by stingless bees. For this purpose eight ethanol extracts of propolis collected by Melipona favosa from Venezuela, Melipona grandis, Scaptotrigona depilis, and Scaptotrigona polysticta from Bolivia, and Tetragonula biroi from Philippines were prepared and analyzed. According to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) results, aliphatic acids and their esters, alcohols, aromatic acids and their esters, hydrocarbons and terpenes were identified from propolis samples. All three Venezuelan propolis include clay. Bolivian propolis include more components than propolis from the Philippines. We found kaur-16-ene (8 beta,13 beta), olean-12-ene, 3-keto-urs-12-ene in propolis collected by stingless bees, as new compounds observed only in Bolivian propolis.

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Acknowledgements

The propolis samples were received from the collection of Apiterapia y Bioactividad (APIBA), Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela, seeking for collaborative research. The M. favosa propolis were collected by Professor Patricia Vit, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela, and the bee was kindly identified by Prof. João M.F. Camargo from the Biology Department, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. The propolis of T. biroi was collected by Professor Cleofás Cervancia, Universidad Los Baños, Philippine, and she also identified the bee. The M. grandis, S. depilis and S. polysticta propolis from the National Park Amboró, Bolivia were collected by P. Vit and Dr. Urbelinda Ferrufino, Asociación Ecológica de Oriente (ASEO), Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The Bolivian stingless bees were kindly identified by Dr. Silvia R.M. Pedro from the Biology Department, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. I thank the anonymous reviewers to improve my chapter, as well as valued editorial interaction with P. Vit and Dr. David W. Roubik.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Hacettepe University, 06800, Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey

    Ömür Gençay Çelemli

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  1. Ömür Gençay Çelemli
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Correspondence to Ömür Gençay Çelemli .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Zumba Sur, University of the Andes, Villa Del Rio 8, Merida, 5101, Venezuela

    Patricia Vit

  2. Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, 14040-901, São Paulo, Brazil

    Silvia R. M. Pedro

  3. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancon, Panama

    David Roubik

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Çelemli, Ö.G. (2013). Chemical Properties of Propolis Collected by Stingless Bees. In: Vit, P., Pedro, S., Roubik, D. (eds) Pot-Honey. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4960-7_39

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