More insight into the chemical composition of Greek propolis; differences and similarities with Turkish propolis.

We aimed to determine the differences and similarities between Greek and Turkish propolis with respect to their chemical composition given that the two countries have many similarities in floral biodiversity. We observed that: a) Greek propolis is different from the European-type propolis, having a high terpene content; therefore we can definitely characterize it as a Mediterranean type; b) the Turkish propolis collected along the coast line of the Aegean Sea is similiar to the examined Greek propolis; c) the remaining Turkish samples, originating from the European part of Turkey, were found to be similiar to the European-type propolis, having a high flavonoid content. Finally, especially two compounds, beta-elemene and totarol, were found in Greek samples in quite high amounts that are thought to have important biological properties.