Secondary metabolites from Eucalyptus grandis wood cultivated in Portugal, Brazil and South Africa

The composition of the lipophilic and phenolic fractions of the wood of Eucalyptus grandis cultivated in Portugal, Brazil and South Africa, was studied. The lipophilic fraction of the studied E. grandis wood is mainly composed of sterols, fatty acids and phenolic compounds. Three triterpenic acids were detected for the first time in the wood extracts from Brazil. E. grandis wood from Portugal presents the largest lipophilic content (1.67 g kg−1 of dry wood), followed by South Africa (1.56 g kg−1 of dry wood) and Brazil (1.05 g kg−1 of dry wood). 51 Phenolic compounds were identified in E. grandis wood MeOH:H2O extracts, from which 11 are reported for the first time as E. grandis constituents and 4 phenolic compounds are firstly reported as Eucalyptus genus components. E. grandis wood from Brazil shows the highest phenolic content (∼2.36 g kg−1 of dry wood), followed by South Africa (∼1.90 g kg−1 of dry wood) and Portugal (∼1.30 g kg−1 of dry wood), demonstrating the influence of the geographic origin over E. grandis wood extractives composition and abundance, as well as on the antioxidant activities of the phenolic fractions. The detailed knowledge of these E. grandis extracts can contribute on the one hand to prevent their impact in the bleaching process, and, on the other demonstrates the potential of this species as a source of bioactive phytochemicals for nutraceutical applications.