Identification of plant origin of propolis from Thailand stingless bees by comparative analysis

Abstract

Propolis is a resinous mixture of substances collected by honey bees from certain plants. It has gained popularity as a food and alternative medicine. We recently obtained Thailand stingless bee propolis. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are only a few studies on native Thailand stingless bee propolis. The purpose of this study was to analyze the composition of Thailand stingless bee propolis and to identify its plant origin. Comparative analysis of the 70% ethanol extracts of Thailand stingless bees propolis and the yellow resin from the fruit surface of Garcinia mangostana was performed using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution-electrospray mass spectrometry. The extracts showed the similar chromatographic patterns. In conclusion, we suggest that the plant origin of Thailand stingless bee propolis is the yellow resin from fruit surface of G. mangostana.