Application of NIR Spectroscopy for the Valorisation of Cork By-Products: A Feasibility Study over the Screening and Discrimination of Chemical Compounds of Interest

<i>Quercus suber</i> is considered a sustainable tree mainly due to its outer layer (cork) capacity to regenerate after each harvesting cycle. Cork bark is explored for several application; however, its industrial transformation generates a significant amount of waste. Recently, cork by-...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ricardo N. M. J. Páscoa, Cláudia Pinto, Liliana Rego, Joana Rocha e. Silva, Maria E. Tiritan, Honorina Cidade, Isabel F. Almeida
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-01-01
Series:Pharmaceuticals
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/17/2/180
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Summary:<i>Quercus suber</i> is considered a sustainable tree mainly due to its outer layer (cork) capacity to regenerate after each harvesting cycle. Cork bark is explored for several application; however, its industrial transformation generates a significant amount of waste. Recently, cork by-products have been studied as a supplier of bioactive ingredients. This work aimed to explore whether near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), a non-destructive analysis, can be employed as a screening device for selecting cork by-products with higher potential for bioactives extraction. A total of 29 samples of cork extracts were analysed regarding their qualitative composition. Partial least squares (PLS) models were developed for quantification purposes, and R<sup>2</sup><sub>P</sub> and RER values of 0.65 and above 4, respectively, were obtained. Discrimination models, performed through PLS-DA, yielded around 80% correct predictions, revealing that four out of five of samples were correctly discriminated, thus revealing that NIR can be successfully applied for screening purposes.
ISSN:1424-8247