Element content of propolis collected from different areas of South Spain

Abstract

The aim of this work is to determine the content of essential and toxic elements in 25 raw propolis samples, when considering pollution agents and geographical and botanical factors. The microwave-assisted digestion was the most reliable and accurate method for determination of inorganic elements in propolis samples. The results were obtained using certified reference materials in a good agreement with certified values. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy was used for the determination of 23 macro- and microelements (Ag, Al, As, B, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Sb, Se, Si, Sn, and Zn). A Mercury analyzer was also utilized for the detection of the total Hg. Among the analyzed metals, Ca, K, Mg, Zn, Si, S, Fe, Al, P, and Na were found to be the most predominant. Heavy metals (As, Cd, Hg, and Pb) were determined in minimal concentration, and Pb was the highest mean contained toxic (<3.80 mg/kg), without influence on provisional tolerable weekly intake values. The method can be applied for routine analysis and quality and environmental pollution controls of toxic elements in propolis samples. The results obtained indicate no pollution of the collection areas and naturally high concentration of Al (460 ± 62.2 mg/kg).

Effects of seasonal variations and collection methods on the mineral composition of propolis from Apis mellifera Linnaeus Beehives

“…Compared to propolis produced in South Spain (Bonvehí and Bermejo, 2013), the concentrations of Ca, Na, and Fe reported in our study were very similar and those of Mg, K, and Cu were within the reported range. However, Zn concentrations were relatively low.…”

“…Finger et al (2014) studied the concentrations of 11 representative metals in some regions of the Paraná state in South Brazil, and they demonstrated that the concentrations of aluminum (Al), Ca, and Mg differed in some regions, which could be used to identify not only the geographical origin of propolis, and to identification of specific zones with environmental contamination. Similar studies have been undertaken in other countries such as those by Cantarelli et al (2011) in Argentina, Gong et al (2012) in China, and Bonvehí and Bermejo (2013) in Spain.…”

Assessment of heavy metals in propolis and soil from the Pelagonia region, Republic of Macedonia

“…The results obtained here are in good agreement with the data published by Formicki and Bogdanov [6,36], who point out that low level of lead (Pb min = 0.06 mg kg -1 ) was found in the propolis collected in Poland taken from the Raciechowice location. The content of lead in propolis collected in 2013 was determined by SerraBonvehi and Bermejo Oranteson [37], and their reported value of 3.80 mg kg -1 is higher compared to the value determined in our study.…”

Preliminary Studies of the Immunomodulator Effect of the Propolis Trigona spp. Extract in a Mouse Model

“…More than 300 chemical compounds have been identified from propolis, including polyphenol (eg, flavonoids), coumarin, terpenes, amino acids, minerals, etc. [2,3,4,5,6]. This product has attracted the interest of researchers in recent decades because of the properties of biological and pharmacological, among others such as antimicrobial [7,8,9], antitumor [10], immunomodulator [11], anti-inflammatory [12], an antioxidant [13].…”