SECONDARY METABOLITES OF APRICOT TREES (PRUNUS ARMENIACA L.) PRUNING: POSSIBLE SUSTAINABLE USE IN THE INDUSTRIAL SECTORS

摘要

Orchards are typical Mediterranean crops and a major feature of the heritage in the Mediterranean basin, where they play an important environmental and economic role. Orchards' biomass byproduct use, such as apricot tree wood, mainly from pruning, could improve the economic and environmental aspects of the biomass disposing. To achieve this objective, the main anti-oxidative properties and the chemical compounds of the extractives coming from apricot orchards biomass were analyzed. Furthermore, the influences of four different extraction techniques in combination with different solvents have been measured. Results demonstrated the potential antioxidant activity of the bark and wood extracts of apricot trees biomass. In addition, the chemical characterization by LC-MS showed the presence of different natural compounds. Therefore, the development of innovative applications that use the biomass derivatives, could lead to possible uses of these in the market as a commodity for the chemical, pharmaceutical or cosmetic industries, giving new added values to current use of biomass from agricultural practice. Our research was focused: i) on the recognition and mapping of the orchard cultivation of the Basilicata Region; ii) on the identification of their extractives traits; iii) on the definition of the appropriate extraction techniques.