Knotwood and bark extracts: strong antioxidants from waste materials

The antioxidant properties of hydrophilic extracts of knotwood of several industrially important tree species were evaluated by lipid-peroxidation inhibition and peroxyl-trapping capacity tests. The results were compared with the antioxidant properties of hydrophilic extracts of bark, and pure lignans and flavonoids isolated from knotwood extracts. The knot extracts from several tree species were stronger antioxidants than the bark extracts, which can, however, also be classified as strong antioxidants. In addition, the antioxidant properties of most of the knotwood extracts are stronger than the pure compounds. It is concluded that knotwood is a rich source of natural antioxidants.