Cambium, composition

The relatively high prize of the enzymes is one factor hindering application of the method in practical scale. In this the work composition of the cambium and the effects of enzymes on isolated cambium were studied in order to determine the optimal enzyme composition for debarking. 

The cambium was isolated firom spruce (Picea abies) logs felled in October-November. The bark was stripped off, and the cambium was removed by gentle scraping. The isolated cambium was immediately fiozen in liquid nitrogen and fi-eeze-dried. The carbohydrate composition of the isolated cambium was analysed by HPLC after enzymatic hydrolysis using Pectinex Ultra and a mixture of cellulases and hemicellulases (Buchert et al 1993). 

The absence of technical facilities for extraction and concentration of the extracts until recent times restricted the use of the nonstructural components of wood mainly to the exudates of trees. The exudates originate from injured cambium, or incised phloem, or sapwood and can dry to gelatinous or brittle solids on the bark. In many cases the exudate and the wood and bark extractives of the same species can have significantly different compositions, but they frequently... 

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