Verification of Chemical Composition of Commercially Available Propolis Extracts by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Analysis

Propolis is a resin that is collected by honeybees from various plant sources. Due to its pharmacological properties, it is used in commercial production of nutritional supplements in pharmaceutical industry. In this study, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was applied for quality control analysis of the three commercial specimens containing aqueous-alcoholic extracts of bee propolis. More than 230 constituents were detected in analyzed products, including flavonoids, chalcones, cinnamic acids and their esters, phenylpropenoid glycerides, and phenylpropenoid sesquiterpenoids. An allergenic benzyl cinnamate ester was also identified in all tested samples. This analytical method allows to evaluate biological activity and potential allergenic components of bee glue simultaneously. Studies on chemical composition of propolis samples may provide new approach to quality and safety control analysis in production of propolis supplementary specimens.