Physicochemical properties, antioxidant activity and phytochemical profiling of Australian Tetragonula carbonaria cerumen

This study investigated the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of stingless bee (Tetragonula carbonaria) cerumen from Australia, while also identifying some phenolic constituents using High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC). The antioxidant activity of the ethanolic T. carbonaria cerumen extracts was determined using a Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay and a HPTLC-DPPH approach was used to identify the constituents that contribute to the antioxidant activity of the cerumen samples. For the determination of the total phenolic content (TPC), a modified Folin-Ciocalteu assay was carried out. The FRAP values ranged from 5.19 ± 0.40 to 16.2 ± 0.70 mmol Fe²⁺/kg of raw cerumen and the TPC values from 3.77 ± 0.12 to 81.3 ± 2.04 mg GAE/g of raw cerumen. The HPTLC analysis revealed the presence of gallic acid and kaempferol in the ethanolic T. carbonaria cerumen extracts which contribute to the antioxidant activity of the samples. The findings of the study demonstrate the antioxidant activity of Australian T. carbonaria cerumen and highlight the importance of more research into its chemical composition, bioactivity and potential therapeutical use.