-1-
ABSTRACT
Neobalanocarpus heimii (Cengal) is from the family Dipterocarpaceae. It is a long-
lasting wood that is also one of the most robust timbers in the world. This species
is native to Peninsular Malaysia and southern Thailand. In this study, the Cengal
heartwood was studied concerning the amount of water extractive content with
antifungal properties from the Neobalanocarpus heimii. The dilution method was used
to test the antifungal properties. Wood meals samples were subjected to the se-
quential extractive beginning with hexane followed by dichloromethane, methanol
and water. The extracts were collected and underwent evaporation by using rotary
evaporator to obtain pure crude extract. The antifungal activities were determined
using agar dilution method. Two selected fungi Trametes versicolor (T. versicolor) and
Coniophora puteana (C. puteana) were used. The antifungal index (%) which compares
the diameter of the growth zone for the experimental plate and control plate was
calculated. The total percentage of yield from Neobalanocarpus heimii was 0.28%. The
highest antifungal index obtained for Trametes versicolor (T. versicolor) was 81.22%,
while C. puteana was 43.24%. The crude extracts from Neobalanocarpus heimii were
effective in inhibiting the growth of Trametes versicolor and Coniophora puteana.
Copyright: © 2022, J. Tropical Biodiversity Biotechnology (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Research Article
Antifungal Activities of Neobalanocarpus heimii (Cengal)
Heartwood Extracts on Trametes versicolor and Coniophora
puteana
Nur Afiqah Manan
1
, Ismail Jusoh
2
, Furzani Pa’ee
1
*
1) Department of Technology & Natural Resources, Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn
Malaysia (UTHM)Pagoh Campus , Pagoh Educational Hub, KM 1, Jalan Panchor, 84600 Panchor, Johor.
2) Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Jalan Datuk Mohammad Musa, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak
* Corresponding author, email: furzani@uthm.edu.my
Journal of Tropical Biodiversity and Biotechnology
Volume 07, Issue 03 (2022): jtbb69942
DOI: 10.22146/jtbb.69942
INTRODUCTION
The traditional toxic wood preservatives that create environmental hazards
can be replaced by secondary metabolites of timber with antifungal proper-
ties and can be used as natural biodegradable fungicides. Antifungal refers to
a chemical compound produced biosynthetically or synthetically that could
destroy or usefully suppress the metabolism of various harmful microscopic
organisms (Kawamura et al. 2010).
An abundance of naturally durable wood species demonstrates im-
proved efficiency and durability in outdoor exposure without preservatives.
When assessing and forecasting the efficiency of a naturally durable wood
species, wood extractives are widely considered to be a contributing factor
(Kirker et al. 2013). Wood extractives are the non-structural components of
wood. It is often produced by the standing tree as defensive compounds to
Keywords:
Antifungal activities
dilution
heartwood
Neobalanocarpus heimii
Trametes versicolor
Coniophora puteana
Submitted:
24 October 2021
Accepted:
19 July 2022
Published:
12 October 2022
Editor:
Miftahul Ilmi