Coniferous trees
are the most dominant trees in Finland with a
great economic value for pulp, paper, and timber making. Thus, their
utilization also results in large quantities of residues, especially
bark and needles. Tree needles are a rich source of bioactive compounds,
which have a considerable utilization potential in different pharmaceutical
or techno-chemical applications. In this study, hydrothermal extraction
(HTE) of the needles from four conifer tree species, namely, Scots
pine, Norway spruce, common juniper, and European larch, was performed.
Besides water, ethanol was also used as a solvent to enhance extraction
efficiency and selectivity. All of the HTE experiments were conducted
with a customized high-pressure reactor operated at 120 °C and
5 bar. The obtained needle extracts were then analyzed using a direct-infusion
ultrahigh-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron (FT-ICR) mass
spectrometry. The FT-ICR analysis of water and ethanol extracts allowed
identification of over 200 secondary plant metabolites, including
monosaccharides, organic acids, terpenoids, a variety of phenolic
compounds, and nitrogen alkaloids. The use of ethanol as the extraction
solvent considerably enhanced the recovery of lipids, especially terpenoids,
some polyphenols, and other unsaturated hydrocarbon species.
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