Abstract
Larix decidua bark is a waste of the timber industry and is widely diffused in Northern Italy. This material can be considered a good source of antioxidants and phytoconstituents with possible use in cosmetic or nutraceutical products. In this study, simple extraction of larch bark was performed using mixtures of ethanol/water. Furthermore, the phytochemical composition of larch bark extract was studied using LC-MSn methods and the main constituents were identified as flavonoids, spiro-polyphenols, and procyanidins. To confirm the identification by LC-MS semi-preparative HPLC was performed in order to isolate the main constituents and verify the structures by 1H-NMR. Antioxidant properties were studied using an in vitro approach combining DPPH assay and LC-MS in order to establish different roles of the various classes of phytochemicasl of the extract. DPPH activity of some of the isolated compounds was also assessed. The overall results indicate this waste material as a good source of antioxidant compounds, mainly procyanidins, whichresulted the most active constituents in the DPPH assay.
Highlights
Larch is an industrially important tree, characterized by a strong, water-resistant, and durable wood
The selection of extracting conditions and solvents affect the extract composition; different alcohol-water mixtures have been tested to select the efficient solvent for flavonoids and procyanidins extraction [10]
The polyphenol content of the dried bark extracts was initially analyzed by HPLC-DAD and the classes of phenolics detected were determined on the basis of the UV spectra of each peak compared with reference compounds, namely, rutin, chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, and catechin
Summary
Larch is an industrially important tree, characterized by a strong, water-resistant, and durable wood. Barks and branches are waste material of the timber industry with important, and partially underexplored, supplies of biologically-active compounds. Several conifer barks contain phytoconstituents, such as tannins, terpenes, and polyphenols [1,2,3]. We focused on L. decidua (European larch), a deciduous conifer endemic to Europe, naturally occurring across central Europe from the Alps, in Eastern France, through the Carpathians, Slovenian mountains, to Southern Poland, Western Ukraine, and Northern Romania. Waterproof, and durable, and flexible in thin strips. Due to its high resin content and difficult machinability, its use for furniture production is limited [1]. Larch sawdust is a byproduct of larch wood production. Larch sawdust is mainly used for the production of pellet
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