Abstract
Ebony (Diospyros celebica Bakh.) is an endemic plant on Celebes (Sulawesi) island. Extractive compounds within ebony wood cause it to have durability, strength, and beautiful patterns. In this study, we used near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to discriminate between ebony wood samples, based on their origins at different growth sites on Celebes island, and to develop quantitative models to predict the extractive content of ebony wood. A total of 45 wood meal samples from 11 sites located in West, Central, and South Celebes were collected in this study. NIR spectral data were acquired from hot water and ethanol–benzene soluble extracts from ebony wood in this study. The extractive content of the ebony was 10.408% and 10.774% based on hot water solubility and treatment with ethanol–benzene solvent, respectively. Multivariate analysis based on principal component analysis–discriminant analysis revealed that ebony wood from West Celebes differed from most of the wood from South Celebes; however, it was only slightly different from ebony wood from Central Celebes based on NIR spectra data. These findings were in line with the extractive contents obtained. Partial least square regression models based on wood meal spectra could potentially be used to estimate the hot water and ethanol–benzene extractive contents from ebony wood.
Highlights
The genus Diospyros includes about 500 species of trees and shrubs that grow in tropical to temperate regions
The samples were collected from 11 sites within West Celebes, Central Celebes, and South Celebes
PCA-DA successfully discriminated NIR spectra based on the growth site of the ebony wood
Summary
The genus Diospyros includes about 500 species of trees and shrubs that grow in tropical to temperate regions. Some Diospyros species in tropical Africa, India, and Southeast Asia have dark-black heartwood with black spots or stripes, which is often called black wood or ebony wood. This unique wood has a high value [1]. The wood of this species has been characterized as luxury sawn timber since the 18th century [3], and it was the first of the fancy wood group categorized in Indonesia. Like ebony from other species, the wood of D. celebica has a unique appearance, with the presence of black wood with stripes of reddish-brown, gray, or greenish-brown, especially in the heartwood part [4,5]. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List categorized ebony as vulnerable [7], and limitations on logging and trading have been instituted
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