Nihon Biofoods Co., Ltd. has been exploring the possibilities of propolis since the company’s establishment as a specialized Propolis manufacturer.
As a pioneer in the study of propolis in Japan, Nihon Biofoods has long studied the raw material of one of the world’s finest dietary supplements, Propolis, and the methods of processing it. We work each day to explore the possibilities of propolis, in collaboration with the research and manufacturing company Nihon Biofoods Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
Honey bees produce propolis by blending resins collected from the sticky buds of trees with beeswax and salivary secretions. They use the mix to varnish their hive entrance and protect the hive and themselves against infection. Propolis has been used to maintain their ecosystem for a period much longer than human history.
Propolis is a rare natural material since only 50 to 80 grams of it can be collected per year from a hive of approximately 50,000 honey bees.
Propolis contains abundant active ingredients that are the objects of academic interest, such as the now-popular materials artepillin C, diterpene, quercetin, and flavonoids. Propolis is also rich in a range of health-enhancing elements like minerals, vitamins, amino acids and organic acids. The effective utilization of propolis has been an object of study and development, and the material is regarded as having high potential.
Propolis is now collected in various countries and regions such as Brazil, Australia, Europe, the United States and China.
Nihon Biofoods use propolis exclusively from Minas Gerais, Brazil. Below are three reasons why we have selected Propolis from this place in particular.
(1)In Brazil there are large areas of untouched forest not polluted with pesticides.
(2) In São Paulo and Minas Gerais forests of Baccharis Dracunculifolia and eucalyptus-type trees from which high-quality propolis can be produced span an area twice the size of Japan.
(3)The honey bees producing Brazilian propolis are a hybrid of African and European species.
Producing high-quality propolis cannot be done without these vigorous new species of honey bees (Africanized honey bees), since they have an amazing ability to producing propolis.
Our search for the best raw materials led us at last to Minas Gerais. We directly import raw propolis from Minas Gerais, and perform extraction and production of propolis in the clean room of our hygienic factory.
Propolis from Minas Gerais, Brazil has a reputation for quality. There are grades for propolis quality, and the amount of active ingredients increases from low to high ranks. We use only the S-grade propolis called Ultra Green Propolis, considered of the best grade and quality.
Maintaining consistent quality is not an easy task since the amount of components in propolis varies depending on the surroundings such as beekeeping technology, weather and climate. We import high-quality raw propolis from our allied supplier, the sole ISO 9001 certified beekeeping company in Brazil. ISO 9001 is the internationally established standard for quality management and assurance. We have enhanced our quality management systems in acquiring ISO 9001, which is now the most widely recognized standard in Japan.
We also visit our allied beekeeping company regularly to check their management systems and the quality of their materials. This is how we succeed in the challenging task of managing the quality of imported items. Fresh raw propolis is imported directly from the supplier, and then conveyed to our manufacturing plant with the latest equipment for various tests such as analysis of locations of collection and plants of origin, measurement of active ingredients, and identification of cause of contamination
* The photos to the right show our visit to our partner beekeeping company.
Our Research and Development Department, consisting of distinguished researchers led by an extraction technology supervisor, have been studying and developing processes to draw out the full value of the highest-quality propolis under hygienic conditions using the latest research equipment and facilities with our exclusive extraction and new process technologies.
Owing to the combined process of water and alcohol extraction our product contains elements abundantly such as flavonoids, terpene, peptide and artepillin C. The alcohol extraction process allows only elements of low polarity like flavonoids to be extracted, while the water-alcohol extraction process enables most of the components of propolis to be extracted, including elements of high polarity such as amino acids and carbohydrate.
When high pressure is applied to carbon dioxide (carbon dioxide gas) at temperatures from 35 to 40 degrees Celsius (approximately 95 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit), it turns to a supercritical fluid state. The supercritical extraction process uses this chemical change to extract the active ingredients of propolis effectively in oxygen-free conditions without heat and alcohol. This process allows the extraction of a considerable amount of liposoluble diterpene and terpenoid. It also makes it possible to maintain the natural colors and scents of materials without oxidation and color staining since this process is carried out in oxygen-free conditions near room temperature.
The triple extraction process is a combination of the water-alcohol extraction process and the supercritical extraction process, the latter enabling more of the now-popular diterpene to be extracted than the former. The active ingredients of propolis can be fully extracted by the processes utilizing water, alcohol and the supercritical state.
