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Updated: Apr 28, 2026

Extraction and Analysis of Taiwanese Green Propolis
Published on: January 7, 2019
Characteristics and chemical compositions of propolis from Ethiopia
Ahmed I Rushdi1, Nuru Adgaba2, Noofal I M Bayaqoob2
1Chair of Green Energy Research, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P. O. Box 2460, Riyadh, 11451 Saudi Arabia ; College of Earth, Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 USA ; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Sana'a University, Sana'a, Yemen.
Introduction:
Propolis is a sticky material mixed by honeybees to utilize it in protecting their hives from infection by bacteria and fungi. The therapeutic properties of propolis are due to its chemical composition with bio-active compounds; therefore, researchers are interested in studying its chemical constituents and biological properties. The main objective of this study is to determine the chemical compositions, characteristics and relative concentrations of organic compounds in the extractable organic matter of propolis samples collected from four different areas in Ethiopia.
Results:
The propolis samples were extracted with a mixture of dichloromethane and methanol and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).The results showed that the total extract yields ranged from 27.2% to 64.2% (46.7 ± 19.1%). The major compounds were triterpenoids (85.5 ± 15.0% of the total extracts, mainly α-, β-amyrins and amyryl acetates), n-alkanes (5.8 ± 7.5%), n-alkenes (6.2 ± 7.0%,), methyl n-alkanoates (0.4 ± 0.2%), and long chain wax esters (0.3 to 2.1%).
Conclusion:
The chemical compositions of these propolis samples indicate that they are potential sources of natural bio-active compounds for biological and pharmacological applications.
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