Determination of macro and micro element contents in propolis products by ICP-OES

Propolis is a plant-derived natural bee product that honey bees produce from resins collected from different plant organs and mix with beeswax. Thanks to the biological effects of propolis, it is known that it has been used for various purposes since the 300s BC. Since ancient times, the biological properties of propolis have been known and used by humans in the treatment of various diseases. Propolis; in vitro conditions, it is reported to contain compounds that can stop the proliferation of cancerous cells. As a result of different chemical analyses related to propolis, many chemical components have been defined in the content of propolis to date. Within the scope of this thesis, in commercial propolis drop products; sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), boron (B), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn) and aluminum (Al) element contents were determined quantitatively by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES). By taking 1 mL from each of the propolis samples, digestion processes were performed with microwave digestion method with 9 mL concentrated HNO3 (nitric acid) mixture. The validation parameters for metal analysis with ICP-OES were determined as accuracy, % recovery, precision (%RSD), correlation coefficient, LOD (Limit of Detection) and LOQ (Limit of Quantitaion).