Bioaccessibility of Ca, Fe, Mg, and Mn in Brazilian Propolis

The objective of this study was to determine and evaluate the bioaccessibility of Ca, Fe, Mg, and Mn in Apis mellifera and Melipona propolis samples. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry was used for the determination of total Ca, Fe, Mg, and Mn in digested propolis, and of the bioaccessible fractions. The levels of Ca, Fe, Mg, and Mn obtained after digestion ranged from 423.43 – 4368.42, 3.85 – 814.92, 139.02 – 1170.68, and 14.28 – 67.29 mg kg–1, respectively. The bioaccessible contents after simulated gastric digestion of Ca, Fe, Mg, and Mn ranged from 17.62 – 63.35, 0.12 – 1.64, 26.06 – 86.34, and 12.08 – 83.05%, respectively. In the simulation of the gastrointestinal tract, the concentrations ranged from 3.05 – 73.08% for Ca, 0.63 – 2.45% for Fe, 0.16 – 43.26% for Mg, and 1.47 – 8.45% for Mn. In general, the simulation showed higher bioaccessible contents after gastric, compared to gastrointestinal digestion.