AUTHOR=Alsafran Mohammed , Sadasivuni Kishor Kumar , Haneesh Julna Mohammed , Kasote Deepak M. 

TITLE=Extraction and characterization of natural fibers from Pulicaria gnaphalodes plant and effect of alkali treatment on their physicochemical and antioxidant properties

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Chemistry

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/chemistry/articles/10.3389/fchem.2024.1437277

DOI=10.3389/fchem.2024.1437277

ISSN=2296-2646

ABSTRACT=<p>The study aimed to extract and characterize natural fibers from <italic>Pulicaria gnaphalodes</italic> (Vent.) Boiss. plants and assess the impact of alkali treatment on the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of these fibers. Fibers were extracted from dried <italic>P. gnaphalodes</italic> aerial parts by grinding with an average yield of 18.1%. Physicochemical and FTIR analysis revealed that the hemicellulose was mostly lost during alkali treatment. Results of the X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis indicated that the crystallinity and thermal stability of <italic>P. gnaphalodes</italic> fibers were considerably increased after alkali treatment. In antioxidant activity assessment studies, raw fibers of <italic>P. gnaphalodes</italic> showed significantly higher radical scavenging and reducing power potentials compared to the alkali-treated samples, indicating that the majority of antioxidant components such as lignin and other polyphenols were lost from <italic>P. gnaphalodes</italic> fibers during alkali treatment. In conclusion, the promising antioxidant activity of raw <italic>P. gnaphalodes</italic> can be utilized in developing functional materials, particularly for cosmetic and wound healing applications.</p>