Fatty acid profiles of propolis and bee bread: effects on the shelf life of foods

In recent years, increasing nutritional awareness has led to a growing demand for natural foods, with consumers preferring products containing natural ingredients over synthetic additives. This trend has accelerated the search for natural alternatives to synthetic preservatives in the food industry. Among natural additives, bee-derived products have attracted considerable attention due to their rich chemical composition and well-documented health-promoting properties. Although synthetic additives are widely used because of their cost-effectiveness, concerns regarding their potential adverse effects have intensified interest in natural preservation strategies. Propolis and bee bread (perga) are particularly promising in the food sector owing to their potential to extend shelf life. In this study, fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis of the ethanol extracts of propolis and bee bread revealed the presence of 10 different fatty acids in propolis and 20 in bee bread. The dominant fatty acids were identified as oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids. Furthermore, molecular docking analyses were performed to calculate the binding energies of these fatty acids to the tyrosinase enzyme (PDB ID: 5M8Q), which is associated with food spoilage reactions. The observed inhibitory interactions between fatty acids and tyrosinase suggest that propolis and bee bread may serve as effective natural alternatives to synthetic preservatives. Overall, the findings indicate that bee products hold strong potential for use in the natural preservation of food systems.