Antifungal activity of propolis obtained at three Cuban provinces against fungal contaminants in plant tissue culture

Abstract

The present research was carried out with the objective of evaluating the physicochemical characteristics and the antifungal activity in propolis from Apis mellifera, coming from the Villa Clara, Cienfuegos and Sancti Spíritus counties in Cuba. Scraping harvesting methods were used to establish wax, ash, insoluble material and resin contents in raw propolis. In addition, in vitro antifungal activity of ethanolic extract of propolis was evaluated for fungi Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., Fusarium sp., Trichoderma sp., Colletotrichum sp., and Monilia sp.: the extracts presented high antifungal activity in a wide range of concentrations; also, the physicochemical parameters presented similar values and inside the established ones for international regulations. This study provides information to select propolis according to the wanted applications.