Abstract
The coniferous tree, Tetraclinis articulata (Vahl) Masters, commonly known as Barbary thuya is endemic to the western Mediterranean areas. Its woods, mainly root burl, were very appreciated by artisans for their natural beauty, homogeneity and good quality destined for marquetry and furniture. Use of essential oils (EOs) of this species opens a second way for valorization in many fields as bioactive agents. EOs were extracted, by hydrodistillation from sawdust and leaves samples originated from two thuya populations, and analyzed by GC-MS. Yields of EOs varied greatly depending on biomass type and samples origin. EOs of leaves are dominated by monoterpens, and contain α-pinene, camphor, and bornyl acetate as major compounds. Those of woods are however rich in sesquiterpens, and contain 3-tera-butyl-4-methoxyphenol, thymol, cedrol, and α-cedrene as major compounds. Antifungal bioassay, by direct contact in malt-agar medium, of these EOs conducted on four wood decaying fungi, showed that root burl wood EOs possess the best antifungal inhibitory power related to their richness in phenols (above 64%), followed by those of trunk wood; while leaves EOs showed, however a less antifungal activity. Such antifungal potency of wood thuya EOs allows us to recommend the use of these oils extracted from sawdust as preservative agents for less durable woods.
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