UJI AKTIVITAS ANTIOKSIDAN EKSTRAK BEE POLLEN DARI TETRAGONULA LAEVICEPS

Abstract

Bee Pollen is a product produced by bees in addition to honey, propolis, royal jelly, bee bread, and beeswax. The antioxidant properties of bee pollen are of particular interest, as antioxidants are known to play an important role in maintaining overall health by neutralizing harmful free radicals and reducing oxidative stress. This study aims to analyze the antioxidant activity contained in T. laeviceps bee pollen extract and identify the potential and benefits of T. laeviceps bee pollen as a source of natural antioxidants. This study used the DPPH method to test the antioxidant activity of bee pollen extract. Bee pollen was extracted with 70% ethanol and dried at a temperature 42 degrees celcius. After that, the bee pollen extract was fractionated with three solvents, namely distilled water, ethyl acetate, and n-hexane, and dried again at 42 degrees Celcius. After that, the fractionated extract of bee pollen was tested for antioxidants using the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) method. Based on the results of the antioxidant test of bee pollen extract from T. laeviceps with the DPPH method, it shows that the ethyl acetate fraction (2.44 mg/ml) has the best antioxidant activity, followed by the n-hexane fraction (3.02 mg/ml), crude extract (3.13 mg/ml) and distilled water fraction (4.65 mg/ml). The value obtained indicates that bee pollen extract has the ability to capture free radicals, so it can act as a natural source of antioxidants. The IC50 value obtained indicates that bee pollen extract has the ability to capture free radicals, so it can act as a natural source of antioxidants.

Keywords: Antioxidants, Bee Pollen, DPPH, T. laeviceps