Physical characterization of geopropolis produced by Melipona scutellaris (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Abstract

Geopropolis has medicinal potential and has been studied due to its complex chemical composition, with more than 300 compounds already identified. However, its physical components are still little known, mainly the soil fraction. In this study, we characterized components of geopropolis produced by stingless bee Melipona scutellaris to know its matrix considering, both the granulometric characteristics and the organic matter (OM) content in the soil. We collected geopropolis and soil samples around bee colonies in an urban-industrial area in the city and in the metropolitan region of Salvador, Bahia State, Brazil. The geopropolis composition in the different study sites is only 9–9.3% of OM and the main matrix was composed of soil mineral material or sediments from the surrounding areas, contributing with approximately 91% on average. The mineral fraction of geopropolis shows a predominance of sandy material, common in soils of the region. Soil contribution to this stingless bee product highlights the importance of this study, because it is the first to characterize geopropolis matrix through the analysis of OM content and granulometry of the soil.

Keywords:

• stingless bee
• soil
• granulometric
• organic matter

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was financed in part by the “Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil” (CAPES)—Finance Code 001 and by the “Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado da Bahia” (FAPESB)—Finance Code PAM0004/2014. We thank “Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico” (CNPq) for the scholarship granted to CALC (No. 305885/2017-0).