Phenolics production from alkaline hydrolysis of autohydrolysis liquors.

The objective of this work was to study the release, identification and characterization of phenolic compounds by saponification of non-isothermal autohydrolysis liquors of corn (Zea mays) cobs andEucalyptus globulus. Corn cobs andE.globulusare lignocellulosic materials with high contents in cellulose and hemicelluloses. Efficient use of these materials can be achieved using autohydrolysis as the first stage of a biorefinery, resulting in a solid phase rich in cellulose and lignin, and a liquid phase containing essentially hemicelluloses-derived compounds and phenolic compounds from the partial solubilization of lignin. This work studied the combination of alkaline hydrolysis and extraction with organic solvents to maximize the amounts of released phenolic compounds since these compounds are interesting for their properties and food applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]