ANALYSIS OF PHYTOCHEMICAL COMPOUNDS IN WATER AND ETHANOL EXTRACTS OF MALAYSIAN PROPOLIS

Abstract

Propolis is a complex resinous material with many pharmacological and biological properties attributed to the presence of many volatile and non-volatile phytochemical compounds which have not been analysed in details for Malaysian propolis. In this study, we determined and compared volatile phytochemical compounds in water and ethanol extracts of Malaysian propolis (Trigona itama) using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Twelve and twenty five volatile phytochemicals were identified from water and ethanol extracts of Malaysian propolis, respectively. The three major phytochemical compounds in water extract propolis were norolean-12-ene (1.73%), 2,3-butanediol (1.69%) and 2,6,10,15,19,23 hexamethyl (1.12%) while in ethanol extract propolis were 1,3-benzenediol-5-pentadecyl (4.18%), cycloartenol (4.06%) and phenol-3-pentadecyl (1.01%). This study indicated that Malaysian propolis phytochemical compounds have different solubility in water and ethanol with more chemicals compounds presence in ethanol extract propolis. Further studies are needed to evaluate the non-volatile phytochemical compounds as well as antioxidant and biological properties of this Malaysian propolis.