The contents of phenolics and cell wall component of Eucalyptus pellita F. Muell stemwood and bark
Eucalyptus pellita is the fast-growing species which is being developed for a raw material of pulp and paper in Indonesia. The aim of this research was to evaluate the total phenolics (TPC) and flavanols contents (TFC) in the stemwood and bark parts from four individual trees. Another purpose was to determine its cell wall contents. Wood and bark materials in two vertical positions (bottom and top) were successively extracted using dichloromethane, ethanol and hot water as the solvents. Axial factor affected significantly in the values of hot water extract, TPC, and TFC but no significantly affected the cell wall component contents. The ethanol extract levels in the heartwood part was the significantly highest. It is noticed that the heartwood part had high levels of the TPC and TFC and low level in lignin content. From this experiment, the comparatively high levels of TPC and TFC in the heartwood indicate the potential antioxidative properties that should be explored in the future. Further, the low content of Klason lignin in the heartwood part would be an advantage for pulp production.