Evaluación del potencial de la espectroscopia infrarroja para la discriminación y caracterización espectroscópica de propóleos de diferentes géneros.

Abstract

Propolis is produced by bees from resins collected from plant shoots or exudates; It is used to seal cracks and reduce the risk of disease within the hive. The chemical composition of propolis is closely related to the vegetation near the collection place and bee species. In Colombia, the marketing of propolis has been relegated to the sale of tinctures in health food stores, as a component of some cosmetic products and as a dietary supplement in the food industry. However, the use of propolis in health and food products requires its standardization. Although some preliminary studies indicate that Colombian propolis has significant biological activity, little information has restricted its use, making its characterization imperative in Colombia, since studies on its chemical composition, especially propolis from stingless bees and particularly in Norte de Santander, are limited. Therefore, the main purpose of this project was to carry out the spectroscopic characterization of propolis from stingless bees by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) of the species: Scaptotrigona sp., Trigona angustula, Frieseomelitta paupera, Nanotrigona sp. and Melipona favosa, collected in the town of Bochamela - Norte de Santander and compared with that produced by bees with stingers of the species Apis mellifera (Africanized) and Apis mellifera carnica (from Germany), which are the best known.