The aim of this study was to determine the best processing conditions to extract Brazilian green propolis using a supercritical extraction technology. For this purpose, the influence of different parameters was evaluated such as S/F (solvent mass in relation to solute mass), percentage of co-solvent (1 and 2% ethanol), temperature (40 and 50°C) and pressure (250, 350 and 400 bar) using supercritical carbon dioxide. The Global Yield Isotherms (GYIs) were obtained through the evaluation of the yield, and the chemical composition of the extracts was also obtained in relation to the total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, antioxidant activity and 3,5-diprenyl-4-hydroxicinnamic acid (Artepillin C) and acid 4-hydroxycinnamic (p-coumaric acid). The best results were identified at 50°C, 350 bar, 1% ethanol (co-solvent) and S/F of 110. These conditions, a content of 8.93±0.01 and 0.40±0.05 g/100 g of Artepillin C and p-coumaric acid, respectively, were identified indicating the efficiency of the extraction process. Despite of low yield of the process, the extracts obtained had high contents of relevant compounds, proving the viability of the process to obtain green propolis extracts with important biological applications due to the extracts composition.

RESUMO O trabalho teve como objetivo desenvolver e caracterizar embalagens ativas fl exíveis formuladas pela incorporação de polpas de frutas tropicais a uma matriz polimérica

Propolis is a product of varied consistency and colour, produced by bees from materials collected from various parts of the plants. It has a complex chemical composition, which depends on the regional flora. Therefore, there are various types of propolis, making comparison between them a difficult task. In the present study, a survey of studies with propolis from the state of Bahia, Brazil, was carried out. We identified 17 scientific papers and eight patents dealing with propolis produced in Bahia. In these works three amongst the 13 types of propolis reported in Brazil were listed. Almost all studies report the antimicrobial activity potential of propolis types 6, highlighting its low percentage of flavonoids. It was also noted that the incentive given to the production of propolis type 13 in Bahia, also known as “própolis vermelha”, is due to the overall aggregate value of this product.

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