The use of honey as a green solvent in the extraction of raw propolis

Abstract

Propolis is a resinous natural mixture taken by scraping beehives. It is used as a food supplement due to its high biological active properties. After extracting crude propolis with various solvents, it is used as propolis extracts. The best propolis extraction is 70% ethanol, ecological solvents are preferred because of some side effects of alcohol. Recently, deep eutectic solvents and ecological solvents have attracted interest in the extraction of propolis. In this study, the solubility of raw propolis in honey was investigated. The results were evaluated as total phenolic content and total antioxidant activity. In the study carried out with water: honey solvents in different ratios, it was determined that the most ideal ratio was 1:20. As a result, the production of such solvents from beehive products further encourages diversification of bee products and the discovery of new applications using environmentally friendly solutions.