Propolis is a sticky material collected by bees from plants, and used in the hive as building material and defensive substance. It has been popular as a remedy in Europe since ancient times. Nowadays, propolis use in over-the-counter preparations, “bio”-cosmetics and functional foods, etc., increases. Volatile compounds are found in low concentrations in propolis, but their aroma and significant biological activity make them important for propolis characterisation. Propolis is a plant-derived product: its chemical composition depends on the local flora at the site of collection, thus it offers a significant chemical diversity. The role of propolis volatiles in identification of its plant origin is discussed. The available data about chemical composition of propolis volatiles from different geographic regions are reviewed, demonstrating significant chemical variability. The contribution of volatiles and their constituents to the biological activities of propolis is considered. Future perspectives in research on propolis volatiles are outlined, especially in studying activities other than antimicrobial.

Propolis is widely used in apitherapy, preparations, and food and beverage additives. Various extraction techniques were applied in the extraction of the biologically active constituents of poplar type propolis in order to compare their efficiency. The methods employed were: traditional maceration extraction, ultrasound extraction (UE), and microwave assisted extraction (MAE).

Propolis is one of the most fascinating honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) products. It is a plant derived product that bees produce from resins that they collect from different plant organs and with which they mix beeswax. Propolis is a building material and a protective agent in the bee hive. It also plays an important role in honey bee social immunity, and is widely used by humans as an ingredient of nutraceuticals, over-the-counter preparations and cosmetics. Its chemical composition varies by geographic location, climatic zone and local flora. The understanding of the chemical diversity of propolis is very important in propolis research. In this manuscript, we give an overview of the available methods for studying propolis in different aspects: propolis in the bee colony; chemical composition and plant sources of propolis; biological activity of propolis with respect to bees and humans; and approaches for standardization and quality control for the purposes of industrial application.

Propolis (bee glue) is a sticky material collected by bees from plant resins, it has been proven to possess numerous beneficial pharmacological properties: antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, antiinflammatory, immunostimulating, hepatoprotective, cytotoxic, etc. Nowadays, propolis is a popular remedy all over the world, and is available in either pure form or combined with other natural products in over-the-counter preparations, cosmetics, and as a constituent of health foods. The interest in propolis containing commercial products is steadily growing. The extraction is a key step in making use of the bioactive constituents of propolis. The present review summarizes and discusses the available data about classical and modern methods of extraction of propolis with potential large-scale application. The published data concerning maceration, Soxhlet, ultrasound-assisted and microwave-assisted extraction, supercritical CO₂ extraction, high-pressure methods, and the application of different solvents are discussed. Concerning the solvents, water – ethanol mixtures remain among the most effective, oil and natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) have demonstrated promising potential. From the extraction processes, ultrasound-assisted extraction seems to be the optimal method, taking into account extraction time and extraction yield. Of course, more studies are necessary to find the best way to extract bioactive compounds from different types of propolis, based on chemometric optimization approaches, especially with respect to large-scale application.

In a new propolis type, red Brazilian propolis, 14 compounds were identified (six of them new for propolis), among them simple phenolics, triterepenoids, isoflavonoids, prenylated benzophenones and a naphthoquinone epoxide (isolated for the first time from a natural source). Three of the major components demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity, and two (obtained as inseparable mixture) possessed radical scavenging activity against 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH).