Direct Evidence for the Plant Origin of Brazilian Propolis by the Observation of Honeybee Behavior and Phytochemical Analysis

Shigenori Kumazawa; Masahiro Yoneda; Ikoi Shibata; Jun Kanaeda; Tomoko Hamasaka; Tsutomu Nakayama

doi:10.1248/cpb.51.740

Notes

Direct Evidence for the Plant Origin of Brazilian Propolis by the Observation of Honeybee Behavior and Phytochemical Analysis

Shigenori Kumazawa, Masahiro Yoneda, Ikoi Shibata, Jun Kanaeda, Tomoko Hamasaka, Tsutomu Nakayama

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Keywords: propolis, honeybee, plant origin, Baccharis, LC/MS

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2003 Volume 51 Issue 6 Pages 740-742

DOI https://doi.org/10.1248/cpb.51.740

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Abstract

To identify the plant origin of Brazilian propolis directly, we observed the behavior of honeybees in Minas Gerais State of Brazil. Honeybee workers bit and chewed leaves of the plant, Baccharis dracunculifolia, packed the material into their pollen basket, brought it back to their nest, and used it as propolis. We collected the leaves of B. dracunculifolia and propolis, and compared their constituents by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis. There was no difference between the chemical constituents of the ethanol extracts of B. dracunculifolia and those of propolis. This indicates directly that the plant origin of Brazilian propolis is B. dracunculifolia.

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