Optimization of Phenolic Compound Extraction from Bee Products via Solvent Systems and PCA Integration

To achieve a highly selective and sensitive analysis of phenolic compounds in bee products (honey, bee bread, and propolis), a simultaneous quantification of 25 phenolic compounds was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a diode array detector. In the study, various solvents were utilized to enhance the phenolic profile of bee products, including pH 2 and 7 ultra-pure water, diethyl ether, and ethyl acetate. These included non-liquid–liquid extraction, pH 2 with 10 mL of pure water and 20 mL of diethyl ether; pH 2 with 10 mL of pure water and 20 mL of ethyl acetate; pH 2 with 10 mL of pure water, 10 mL of diethyl ether, and 10 mL of ethyl acetate; and pH 7 with 10 mL of pure water, 10 mL of diethyl ether, and 10 mL of ethyl acetate. Additionally, the integration of phenolic compounds identified through the enrichment method was pursued using principal component analysis (PCA). The extraction yields and recovery rates of phenolic compounds can be significantly improved by combining and integrating different extraction techniques. Our results demonstrated that using different solvent combinations significantly improved both the yield and diversity of phenolic compounds extracted from the complex matrices of bee products.