Cork Suberin: A Glyceryl Based Polyester

Total depolymerization of cork from the cork oak (Quercus suber L.) by using a sodium methoxide catalysed methanolysis solubilized 53.2 % of the material, including 5.2 % of glycerol, 48,0 % of suberinic fatty acids and alcohols and minor amounts of ferulic acid. A very mild depolymerization using calcium oxide treated methanol, which solubilized only 2.0% of the cork material was studied by GC-MS. In the solubilized material, the total amount of aliphatic acids was 43.8 % (including alkanoic acids 4.0%. ω-hydroxyacids 13.2% and α,ω-diacids 26.6%), of 1-alkanols 2.1 % and of monoacylglycenols 32.1%. It was possible to identify 1-monoacylglycerols and 2-monoacylglycerols of alkanoic acids (1,2%), ω-hydroxyacids (3.7 %) and α,ω-diacids (22.8 %). It is proposed that suberin is a glyceryl based polymer and that its insoluble character is given, at least in part, by the cross-linking of dicarboxylic fatty acids with glycerol. The term suberin should be used for this aliphatic polyester component of the cell wall.