Pinus Pinaster Bark Composition and Applications

Abstract

The food market is demanding natural antioxidants either to be applied to food or cosmetic and nutraceutical purposes. Plants are very rich in polyphenols that have diverse biological functions, such as defending plants against microbiological attacks, becoming essential to plant life. The bark of Pinus pinaster Aiton subsp. atlantica is known to have a great amount of polyphenols with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. P. pinaster has a large area of distribution in the northwest of Portugal, making this source a biomass feedstock of great interest for the food industry in Portugal. Therefore, embarking on the trend of circular economy, polyphenols are being extracted aiming for the exploitation of their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties as a food additive in a variety of food matrices. This chapter aims to provide a more insightful view of the chemical composition, extraction methods, and food applications of pine bark of Pinus pinaster Aiton subsp. atlantica polyphenols.