Abstract: Propolis is a sticky dark-colored material. Its pharmacological activity and chemical compositions are highly variable, which depends on the plant sources. Solid phase microextraction coupled with GC-MS was used to analyze the volatile compounds in propolis from 4 types of plant sources. The results of principal component analysis (PCA) revealed the difference of volatile compounds in different plant sources. The same components included 3-methyl-3-butene-1-ol, isoprene, 4-pentene-acetate, prenyl acetate, 4-cymene, limonene, cineole, 3-carene, nonanal, α-cubaene, α-muurolene, β-eudesmol and α-eudesmol. This study will provide a theoretical reference for further investigation of fingerprints and distinguish diagram of propolis.

Key words: propolis, plant source, volatile compounds, solid phase microextraction (SPME), principal component analysis (PCA)