FT-IR and HPLC analysis of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) bark compounds from different geographical provenances
Irina M. Morar,
Razvan Stefan,
Catalina Dan,
Radu E. Sestras,
Petru Truta,
Mădălina Medeleanu,
Florica Ranga,
Paul Sestras,
Alina M. Truta,
Adriana F. Sestras
Affiliations
Irina M. Morar
Department of Forestry, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Razvan Stefan
Preclinic Department, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Catalina Dan
Department of Horticulture and Landscape, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Corresponding author.
Radu E. Sestras
Department of Horticulture and Landscape, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Petru Truta
Department of Forestry, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Mădălina Medeleanu
Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Florica Ranga
Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Paul Sestras
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 400020, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Academy of Romanian Scientists, Ilfov 3, 050044, Bucharest, Romania; Corresponding author. Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 400020, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Alina M. Truta
Department of Forestry, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Adriana F. Sestras
Department of Forestry, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) could be applied to study the provenance of wood, specifically the differentiation of wood resources, as well as the identification of chemical compounds that are connected to the changes that occur in wood as a result of drying treatments. To test this hypothesis, the bark of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) from trees belonging to seven different geographical provenances was studied, using samples dried at three different temperatures (60, 80, and 100 °C). FT-IR spectroscopy revealed different band assignments in the mid-infrared region depending on fir provenances, whereas the vibrational bands of the biomass functional groups tended to shift to lower wavenumbers. Significant differences were identified between the chemical compounds in the bark depending on the provenances. The largest proportion of the total phenolics was represented by the epicatechin gallate, epicatechin, catechin, and procyanidin dimer B1. Exploratory data analysis was performed using principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical clustering, and Pearson correlations. This allowed a comparative evaluation of the samples and interpret the findings according to the geographical provenances, respectively ecological conditions in the areas of origin, but also the influence of the drying temperatures of the samples on chemical compounds. The precipitation in the areas of origin decreased total phenolics in silver fir bark samples, and total phenolics differed not only due to the geographic provenance, but also due to drying temperature.
