Distinguishing between Tectona grandis and acacia auriculiformis woods

Abstract

The demand for Teak (Tectona grandis Linn F.) wood in India is high due to its durability and aesthetic value, and the country is highly dependent on imports to fulfil the demand. Thus, people try to trade Acacia auriculiformis A. Cunn wood commonly known as auri or acacia in place of teak wood as they have similar appearance. To address this issue, a simple and effective method was developed using Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) analysis and UV–visible spectroscopy to distinguish between teak and auri timber and their finished products. For the study, we collected wood specimens from the Wood Properties and Processing division of IWST and conducted TLC analysis and UV–visible spectroscopy to distinguish the wood of both species. The identification of distinct peaks in UV–visible and separate spots with different retention factors (RF) in TLC provide a reliable means of differentiation. This study aims to present a solution to the problem of distinguishing between teak and auri, woods particularly in finished products, and the findings of the study may be useful for enhancing the customer satisfaction who are paying of teak and getting auri wood. Thus, also preventing the unethical trade of A. auriculiformis as T. grandis wood.