Quick Dips

Pushing Propolis

Bees are industrial insects, distributors of pollen and makers of honey, and scientists are finding that another valuable resource lies in their household cleaner, propolis.

Propolis constituents are produced by plants and stored in the wax covering of their leaves. Bees scrape propolis from leaves and return it to their hives, using it to block drafts and smother foreign objects, such as insects, to prevent their decay contaminating the hive.

"For bees, it's a sort of household cleaner and polyfiller wrapped up in one," said Ken Markham, head of Industrial Research's plant chemistry team. "Propolis has been recognised for thousands of years for its anti-microbial properties, preventing rotting and decay. It has even been suggested that mummies were embalmed in it."

Propolis is in great demand as a health product, especially in Asia. It is a good source of flavonoids, natural pigments found in green plants, fruit, flowers and berries. Flavonoids are very effective anti-oxidants and free radical scavengers, helping to prevent oxidative processes that can lead to such degenerative diseases as cancer, arthritis and coronary heart disease, says Markha, and they also help enable vitamin C to be properly utilised by the body.

Markham believes New Zealand can do much more to utilise this resource.

"From a marketing point of view, New Zealand exporters should label their propolis products better, charaterising and quantifying the important constituents to enhance their value for promotion and sale. We are at the lower end of the market; we are not promoting it very well, we are just selling it," he says.

Brazil, a major producer, is reported to be earning some $9,000/kg for its propolis, compared to just $1,000/kg for the New Zealand product.