Extraction of Bio-chemicals for Pharmaceutical and Food Industry from Myrocarpus frondosus, Robinia presudoacacia and Three Quercus Species

The amount of phytochemicals of interest for the pharmaceutical and food industry extractable from wooden biomasses largely exploited in the furniture and construction sectors as Myrocarpus frondosus, Robinia presudoacacia and three Quercus species were investigated. Adopting modified methanol based extraction protocols, particularly high amounts of antioxidant as ferulic acid 1.596 mg/g, syringaldehyde 0.74 mg/g, vanillic acid 0.327 mg/g and gallic acid 0.114 mg/g were extracted. (E)-coniferyl alcohol, ranging from 0.006 mg/g to 0.099 mg/g, was found in all the samples suggesting its use as an indicator of lignin degradation under alkali hydrolysis.