Prospecting for non-timber forest products by chemical analysis of four species of Lauraceae from the Amazon region of Colombia

• Published in: Journal of wood science 2024-07, Vol.70 (1), p.33-19, Article 33
• Main Authors: Muñoz-Acevedo, Amner, López-Camacho, René, González, María C., Castillo, Osnaider J., Cervantes-Díaz, Martha, Celis, Marcela
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alcohol; Alcohols; Aniba panurensis; Aromatic hydrocarbons; Benzoates; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemical analysis; Chemical composition; Constituents; Economic importance; Esters; Ethers; Ethyl acetate; Exploitation; Forest products; Hydrocarbons; Life Sciences; Materials Science; Metabolites; Monoterpenes; Nectandra cuspidata; NWFP/NTFP; Ocotea cymbarum; Ocotea myriantha; Original Article; Overexploitation; Population decline; Secondary metabolites; Solvent extraction; Solvent extraction processes; Solvents; Spices; Terpineol; Timber; Volatile fractions/ethyl acetate extracts; Wood Science & Technology; Woody plants
• ISSN: 1611-4663; 1435-0211; 1611-4663
• DOI: 10.1186/s10086-024-02148-y

Lauraceae is a family of woody plants of economic importance mainly for their commercial exploitation as timber, as well as spices/food. Nonetheless, overexploitation is causing a decline in both the population and the associated ecosystems due to the lack of sustainability strategies and knowledge of alternative ways of utilization. The focus of this research was to determine if the secondary metabolites found/identified in the volatile fractions/ethyl acetate extracts of Aniba panurensis , Nectandra cuspidata , Ocotea cymbarum and O. myriantha from the Amazon region of Colombia (Departamento de Caquetá) would be promising/interesting for industry, so that uses/exploitation other than timber could be recommended. In this work, the chemical compositions by GC–FID/MS of the volatile fractions/total extracts (by HS–SPME/SDE/maceration) of the trunk wood of these trees were determined. The results were: (i) the volatile fractions/extracts of A. panurensis were composed of 88–94% benzenoid-type aromatic esters (benzyl salicylate and benzoate); (ii) N. cuspidata contained 95% sesquiterpenes (α-copaene and α-cubebene/germacrene D) by HS–SPME, 89% oxygenated and hydrocarbonated sesquiterpenes (τ-cadinol and δ-cadinene) by SDE, and 87% sesquiterpenes and aporphine alkaloids (α-copaene/germacrene D/δ-cadinene/α-cubebene and dicentrine/dehydrodicentrine) by solvent extraction; (iii) O. cymbarum contained mainly 63% sesquiterpenes and monoterpene ethers (α-copaene/ trans -calamenene and eucalyptol) by HS–SPME, 63–85% of monoterpene alcohols (α-terpineol/borneol)/hydrocarbons (α-/β-pinenes)/ethers (eucalyptol) and phenylpropanoid ethers (methyleugenol) by SDE/solvent extraction; and (iv) for O. myriantha , the constituents per family were 91% sesquiterpenes (bicyclogermacrene/germacrene D)—HS–SPME, 72% sesquiterpene alcohols and sesquiterpenes/monoterpenes (spathulenol and bicyclogermacrene/δ-3-carene)—SDE, and 69% benzenoid-type aromatic esters and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons/alcohols (benzyl salicylate and bicyclogermacrene/α-cadinol)—solvent extraction. In conclusion, the main constituents identified in the woods (volatile fractions/extracts) of the species could be isolated and sustainably used/exploitated due to their bioproperties, as well as for their fragrant properties, some of which could be harnessed by different sectors/types of industries.