Effect of Propolis as a food additive on the growth rate of the beneficial bacteria

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Saddiq, Amna A. | Danial, Enas N.^;

Affiliations: Department of Biology, King Abdulaziz University, Faculty of Science, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Girls Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | Department of Chemistry of Natural and Microbial Products, National Research Center, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt

Note: [] Corresponding author: Enas N. Danial, Tel.: +966509630297; Fax: +966026592423; E-mails: Enas_mahdy@yahoo.com, aansaddiq@kau.edu.sa (A.A. Saddiq).

Abstract: Propolis has been used as a medicinal agent to treat infections and promote wound healing for centuries. The aim of the present study was to test the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and probiotic activities of a commercial Saudi Arabian propolis (SAP) and analyze its chemical composition. The antimicrobial activity was tested against the pathogenic microbes Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus. The best results were found for Klebsiella pneumonia (32 mm). The ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) has high sequestrating activity for the free radical DPPH. The water extract showed positive activity toward probiotic bacteria. In GCMS of EEP, nine new compounds were found, among which were two isoflavones. Our results showed that the propolis has biological active compounds that had never been reported in other types of Saudi Arabian propolis.

Keywords: Propolis, anti-oxidant, probiotic, GC, isoflavones

DOI: 10.3233/MGC-140135

Journal: Main Group Chemistry, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 223-232, 2014