• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.346-354
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• 2018

Kemenyan resin from Styrax sumatrana is a unique non-timber forest product (NTFP) native from Sumatera Island, Indonesia. It possesses a wide range of applications in the pharmaceutical, perfume, and cosmetics industries. In this paper, six kemenyan resin samples were investigated to evaluate their free radical scavenging activity using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) reagent. The kemenyan resin samples, which originated from North Tapanuli, Pakpak Bharat, and Humbang Hasundutan, showed high antioxidant activity with $IC_{50}$ < 16 mg/L. The antioxidant activity of common kemenyan resin constituents, i.e., cinnamic acid, ethyl cinnamate, gallic acid, and vanillin was also investigated as positive control, although they exhibited lower antioxidant activity ($IC_{50}$ < 1000 mg/L), except for gallic acid ($IC_{50}$ = 5,23 mg/L). The total phenolic and flavonoid contents (TPC and TFC) for all samples were 44-66 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g sample and 143-160 mg quarcetin equivalents (QE)/g sample. The results revealed that kemenyan resin has high potency as an antioxidant and could be used as a natural antioxidant resource.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.539-550
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• 2016

The objective of this research was to evaluate physical and mechanical properties of three species of Styrax woods from North Tapanuli in Indonesia. The woods were more than 15 years old. Physical properties such as specific gravity, green moisture content, and volume shrinkage were determined by the procedures based on BS-373 standard for small clear specimen. Furthermore, mechanical properties, including modulus of rupture, modulus of elasticity, compression parallel to grain and hardness were also tested according to the standard. Along the stem direction, the edge section had better properties compared with those near the pith section. And the base section had also better properties than upper section. Based on the specific gravity, all of the Styrax woods in this research were classified into III-IV strength classes. A good dimensional stability was demonstrated by the value of the tangential and radial ratio which reached one. With the consideration of the mechanical properties, Styrax woods were suitable use for raw materials of light construction, furniture and handy craft.