Work

Can a mixture of green and wild propolis extracts have a synergistic antioxidant effect in situ? An oil-in-water emulsion application

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study sought to assess the antioxidant synergism in situ (within a food emulsion) between green (GPE) and brown (BPE) Brazilian propolis extracts. A mixture of GPE and BPE (GPE+BPE) was evaluated in a 59:41 v/v ratio, along with the individual extracts ( i.e. , GPE and BPE). For comparison, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and a negative control (ethanol) were included. A completely randomized experimental design with a 5 × 5 factorial arrangement was utilized to assess the effectiveness of the five treatments on oxidative stability (evaluated by peroxide value [PV] and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance [TBARS]) of the emulsion stored under accelerated conditions. All antioxidants maintained low levels of oxidation products in the emulsions (primary stage). The mixture (GPE+BPE) enhanced the emulsion’s oxidative stability, exhibiting lower peroxide production ( k = 0.0550 meq/L/d) compared to the isolated extracts, which had higher PV formation rates ( k = 0.0822 and k = 0.1134 meq/L/d, respectively), thus indicating in situ synergism between the BPE and GPE. Quantitatively, the synergistic antioxidant effect in situ was about 30 %. This study is the first to demonstrate antioxidant synergism in situ between Brazilian propolis extracts, offering stronger evidence that mixed propolis extracts can act more effectively as antioxidants in food.

Source: Food Chemistry Advances

DOI: 10.1016/j.focha.2025.100985