Design of a food product composed of honey and propolis

Abstract

Propolis is a natural bee hive product with potential functional activities. Nowadays, many propolis products are available on the market, including cosmetics and food commodities. However, it is still unknown if edible products with propolis are fully accepted by consumers and are thus commercially viable, due to the bitter and resinous flavor and taste of propolis. This work is focused on the design of a "honey with propolis" foodstuff that can be welcomed by consumers, and, if possible, provide added benefits compared to the honey itself. Propolis tinctures containing three different concentrations of ethanol and times of maceration were prepared, giving the best results with 90% ethanol and two days of maceration. Then, in order to study the maximum amount of propolis in honey that could be accepted by a representative group of consumers, a forced choice paired comparison preference test with 69 people was carried out, giving the best results with a honey product containing 0.3-0.5% propolis extract. Phenolic and flavonoid contents, as well as TEAC antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of propolis, honey, and the product "honey with propolis" were then analyzed. As expected, propolis showed the highest phenolics and flavonoids contents, as well as the highest antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The product "honey with propolis" showed a significantly higher antimicrobial activity, however, when compared to honey alone. In conclusion, the commercialization of a food product of "honey and up to 0.5% propolis" is promising, interesting and viable, as such a product is greatly appreciated by consumers, as well as being potentially healthy. Diseñ o de un alimento a base de miel y propó leosEl propó leos es un producto apícola natural con potenciales actividades funcionales, habiendo actualmente en los mercados cosméticos y alimentos con propó leos. Sin embargo, todavía no se conoce la viabilidad comercial de muchos alimentos que contienen propó leos, por sus sabores amargos y resinosos. Este trabajo está basado en el diseño de un alimento elaborado con miel y propó leos que guste a los consumidores, y con posibles beneficios adicionales con respecto a los de la miel de partida. Para la elaboració n de la tintura de propó leos, se investigaron tres diferentes concentraciones de etanol y tres tiempos distintos de maceració n, obteniéndose los mejores resultados con etanol al 90% y 2 días de maceració n. Se estudió la cantidad máxima de propó leos que adicionada a la miel, fuera aceptada por un número representativo de consumidores. Para ello, se realizó una prueba de comparació n por parejas con 69 personas, dando los mejores resultados la miel con un 0.3-0.5% de extracto de propó leos. Finalmente, se analizaron los contenidos en fenoles y flavonoides, así como las actividades antioxidante TEAC y antimicrobiana de los propó leos, miel y "miel con propó leos". Como cabía esperar, los propó leos mostraron los contenidos más elevados de fenoles y flavonoides, y las actividades antioxidante y antimicrobiana más...

Propolis and Potential Use in Food Products

“…It is indicated that humans can consume 1.4 mg/kg body weight/day or approximately 70 mg/day as a safe dose (Burdock, 1998). Also, the study aimed at an acceptable amount of propolis in a designed food product with honey and propolis determined the suitable level as a maximum of 0.5% propolis content (Osés et al, 2015).…”

Development of healthy gummy jellies containing honey and propolis

“…Some products containing propolis might have a strong flavor that affects their acceptability. Osés et al 7,31 studied honey samples with the addition of different proportions of propolis extracts and determined that products with more than 5 g soft propolis residue kg −1 were rejected owing to their unpleasant organoleptic characteristics. However, a sensory panel accepted all honeys with 1-5 g soft propolis residue kg −1 .…”

“…A similar trend showing the increase in HMF concentration was reported for honey stored under different lighting conditions. 31 As HPGJ's water activity was 0.700, fungal growth could be a limiting factor in the product's shelf life. Al-Waili et al 39 investigated the antimicrobial activity of ethyl alcohol propolis extracts and their synergistic effect when used with honey.…”

Addition of Bee Products in Diverse Food Sources: Functional and Physicochemical Properties

“…Other evidence establishes that honey enriched with propolis extract (0.3% and 0.5%, with 90% ethanol and 48 h of maceration) is promising, as it can maintain a good acceptance level in consumers. Furthermore, it showed a total phenolic compound and high flavonoids content (270.08 mg/100 g and 15.68 mg/100 g, respectively) compared to honey; however, the mixture with more than 0.5% of the extract was perceived as unpleasant, bitter, and intense [100].…”