ABSTRACT
Eucalyptus globulus bark, one of the main by-products of the
pulp and paper industry in Southern Europe, is a potential source
of valuable chemicals. In this work, chemical composition of E.
globulus bark was studied with detail, including its carbohydrate
composition. Response surface methodology (RSM) modeling
and optimization was developed for the selective extraction of
polyphenolic material from E. globulus bark. The RSM method was
based on the Box-Behnken design, aiming to obtain the optimal
combination of extraction conditions considering the parameters
ethanol percentage in the extraction medium, temperature and
time. Conditions for maximum of polyphenols in the extract are
52% ethanol, extraction temperature of 82.5°C and extraction
time of 264 min. The polyphenolic compounds – quantified as gallic
acid equivalents – in the extract produced at the optimal conditions
was 32%, corresponding to about 2% of bark weight, with a
carbohydrate co-extraction of about 1.6% of bark carbohydrate
content. Some of the extracts revealed low values of IC50 against
human breast cancer cells, indicative of high biological activity.
This work has demonstrated the potential of E. globulus bark as a
source of polyphenolic compounds with anti-proliferative activity
and gives a positive contribution to the increase in products
portfolio diversification in pulp industry and biorefineries.
References
Authors*: Maria Inês Ferreira da Mota1
Paula Cristinade Oliveira Rodrigues Pinto1
Catarina Cardoso Novo1,2
Gabriel Duarte Almeida Sousa2
Olinda Rosa Fragoso da Neves Guerreiro3,4
Ângela da Conceição Relvas Guerra3,4
Maria Fátima Pereira Duarte3,4
Alírio Egídio Rodrigues1
O PAPEL vol. 74, num. 1, pp. 57 – 64 JAN 2013
*Authors’ references:
1. Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering – LSRE, Associate Laboratory LSRE/LCM, Department of ChemicalEngineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto,
Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s/n. Porto. 4200-465. Portugal
2. RAIZ – Research Institute of Forestry and Paper, Quinta de S. Francisco, Apart. 15, 3801-501 Eixo. Portugal
3. CEBAL – Centro de Biotecnologia Agrícola e Agro-Alimentar do Baixo Alentejo e Litoral (CEBAL), Instituto Politécnico de Beja (IPBeja), 7801-908 Beja. Portugal
4. CICECO – Centre for Research in Ceramics & Composite Materials (CICECO), University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro. Portugal
Corresponding author: Paula C. Rodrigues Pinto. E mail: [email protected]
Eucalyptus globulus bark, one of the main by-products of the
pulp and paper industry in Southern Europe, is a potential source
of valuable chemicals. In this work, chemical composition of E.
globulus bark was studied with detail, including its carbohydrate
composition. Response surface methodology (RSM) modeling
and optimization was developed for the selective extraction of
polyphenolic material from E. globulus bark. The RSM method was
based on the Box-Behnken design, aiming to obtain the optimal
combination of extraction conditions considering the parameters
ethanol percentage in the extraction medium, temperature and
time. Conditions for maximum of polyphenols in the extract are
52% ethanol, extraction temperature of 82.5°C and extraction
time of 264 min. The polyphenolic compounds – quantified as gallic
acid equivalents – in the extract produced at the optimal conditions
was 32%, corresponding to about 2% of bark weight, with a
carbohydrate co-extraction of about 1.6% of bark carbohydrate
content. Some of the extracts revealed low values of IC50 against
human breast cancer cells, indicative of high biological activity.
This work has demonstrated the potential of E. globulus bark as a
source of polyphenolic compounds with anti-proliferative activity
and gives a positive contribution to the increase in products
portfolio diversification in pulp industry and biorefineries.
References
Authors*: Maria Inês Ferreira da Mota1
Paula Cristinade Oliveira Rodrigues Pinto1
Catarina Cardoso Novo1,2
Gabriel Duarte Almeida Sousa2
Olinda Rosa Fragoso da Neves Guerreiro3,4
Ângela da Conceição Relvas Guerra3,4
Maria Fátima Pereira Duarte3,4
Alírio Egídio Rodrigues1
O PAPEL vol. 74, num. 1, pp. 57 – 64 JAN 2013
*Authors’ references:
1. Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering – LSRE, Associate Laboratory LSRE/LCM, Department of ChemicalEngineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto,
Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s/n. Porto. 4200-465. Portugal
2. RAIZ – Research Institute of Forestry and Paper, Quinta de S. Francisco, Apart. 15, 3801-501 Eixo. Portugal
3. CEBAL – Centro de Biotecnologia Agrícola e Agro-Alimentar do Baixo Alentejo e Litoral (CEBAL), Instituto Politécnico de Beja (IPBeja), 7801-908 Beja. Portugal
4. CICECO – Centre for Research in Ceramics & Composite Materials (CICECO), University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro. Portugal
Corresponding author: Paula C. Rodrigues Pinto. E mail: [email protected]
