Valorisation of softwood bark through extraction of utilizable chemicals. A review.

Softwood bark is an important source for producing chemicals and materials as well as bioenergy. Extraction is regarded as a key technology for obtaining chemicals in general, and valorizing bark as a source of such chemicals in particular. In this paper, properties of 237 compounds identified in various studies dealing with extraction of softwood bark were described. Finally, some challenges and perspectives on the production of chemicals from bark are discussed.

The potential and practical applications of acylated flavonoids.

Flavonoids have many beneficial health effects. However, their practical applications are often strongly limited due to low solubility and stability in lipophilic media. In order to eliminate this drawback, enzymatic acylation with fatty acids has been introduced. Besides altering physico-chemical properties, bioavailability and biological properties of maternal compounds may also be improved. Although the research dealing with flavonoid ester synthesis is a matter of few years, and several aspects need to be clarified, there is a promising prospect of future application of these selectively acylated derivatives in therapy, cosmetics, and dietetic fields.