Method for burning and sintering of agarwood of aquilaria malaccensis

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of fire burning and sintering methods of Agarwood of odd Nanmu, comprising the following operating steps: S1: selecting the odd Nanmu tree of tree age ≥5 years, diameter at breast height ≥5cm, marking as the first point at 25-30cm from the ground of trunk, second, third mark point is sequentially spaced 25-30cm, and so on;S2: the mark point of S1 marking is burned and handled, and the time is 45-75 seconds.By the method of the application, the content of Agarwood ethanol extract obtained after fire burning odd Nanmu is as high as 52.43%, and the content of Agarwood essential oil is as high as 45.42%, which improves the quality of Agarwood, makes its quality close to natural quality, is beneficial to the protection and sustainable utilization of wild white Agarwood resources;Further, the method of the application shortens the production cycle, reduces the damage to odd Nanmu tree, improves the production efficiency and is more environmentally friendly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of bio-agricultural technology, specifically to a method for burning agarwood to form resin. Background Technology

[0002] Agarwood, also known as "sinking incense," is a precious spice and medicinal material, primarily derived from the resin of plants in the Thymelaeaceae family. The formation of agarwood is a very unique process, requiring a long period of natural evolution. "Fire-burning agarwood" refers to artificially simulating the natural resin formation process to accelerate agarwood formation. Agarwood possesses a unique aroma and medicinal value, earning it the title of "King of Incense." In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is used to treat various ailments, such as indigestion and blood stasis. Simultaneously, agarwood is also an important raw material for making high-end perfumes.

[0003] Burning agarwood to form resin is a form of artificial intervention that accelerates the formation of agarwood. However, this procedure can damage the agarwood tree. Therefore, caution must be exercised when burning agarwood to form resin, minimizing damage to the tree and protecting its health.

[0004] There is a method for inducing agarwood formation by burning agarwood trees. The specific procedure involves selecting agarwood trees that are over 10 years old or have a diameter of over 20cm, first peeling off the bark, drying them, and then burning them from the base to the top with a blowtorch. After 6-12 months, the area around the wound will turn into agarwood. However, this method has several drawbacks: a) Selecting agarwood trees that are over 10 years old or have a diameter of over 20cm results in a long growth cycle, leading to a long production cycle; b) Peeling off the bark and drying the agarwood trees increases the workload, prolongs the agarwood formation time, and can cause serious damage to the tree. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides a method for the resin formation of Qinan agarwood through fire burning. By employing a fixed-point, timed burning method, the production cycle is shortened, the quality of the agarwood is improved, and its quality is brought closer to that of natural agarwood. This enriches the resin formation technology of Qinan agarwood and is beneficial to the protection and sustainable utilization of wild Aquilaria sinensis resources. Furthermore, the localized burning only damages part of the bark and outer xylem of the tree, minimizing harm to the agarwood tree.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution provided by the present invention is as follows:

[0007] A method for inducing resin formation in Qinan agarwood through burning involves selecting an ambient temperature ≥25℃ and a sunny, well-lit day. Using a fixed-point, timed burning method, a blowtorch is applied from bottom to top to each selected point on the Qinan tree for a specific period, damaging most of the main trunk to achieve the goal of inducing resin formation. The method includes the following steps:

[0008] S1: Select a Qinan tree that is ≥5 years old, has a diameter at breast height ≥5cm, and is in good growth condition. Use chalk or other marking tools to mark the first point on the trunk 25-30cm above the ground. Then mark the second, third, and fourth points at intervals of 25-30cm upwards, and so on. All marking points should face south and be the same size.

[0009] S2: Use a flamethrower to burn the marked point of S1 from bottom to top for 45 to 75 seconds.

[0010] Preferably, the number of marking points mentioned in S1 is generally 4 to 5. If the selected agarwood has a large diameter at breast height (DBH), the number of marking points can be increased accordingly. Preferably, the flame temperature of the flame gun used for the burning treatment mentioned in S2 is greater than 800°C and less than 1500°C.

[0011] Preferably, the diameter of the barrel of the flamethrower used for the flamethrowing treatment in S2 is 20 mm.

[0012] Preferably, the burning time in S2 is 60 to 75 seconds.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0014] The agarwood obtained by burning Qinan using the method of this invention has an ethanol extract content of up to 52.43% and an agarwood essential oil content of up to 45.42%, which improves the quality of agarwood and brings it closer to its natural quality. This is beneficial to the protection and sustainable use of wild agarwood resources. Furthermore, the method of this invention shortens the production cycle, reduces damage to Qinan trees, improves production efficiency, and is more environmentally friendly. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the marking points set for the method of burning agarwood to form resin in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 The variation in the content of ethanol extract in agarwood obtained from different burning times.

[0017] Figure 3 The variation in essential oil content in agarwood obtained from different burning times. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The specific embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, but it should be understood that the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments. Unless otherwise specified, the raw materials and reagents used in the embodiments are commercially available.

[0019] Example 1

[0020] A method for inducing resin formation in Qinan agarwood involves burning at specific points and for a set time. A blowtorch is used to burn selected points on the Qinan tree from bottom to top for a certain period, damaging most of the trunk to achieve the goal of resin formation. The operation steps are as follows:

[0021] S1: In April 2022, at the Guangxi Forestry Science and Technology Extension Demonstration Project Planting Experiment Base in Nalou Town, Yongning District, Nanning City, Guangxi, Qinan trees with an age of about 5 years, a diameter at breast height of about 5 cm, and good growth were selected. On a sunny day with an ambient temperature of ≥25℃ and sufficient sunlight, the first point was marked with chalk at a height of 25 cm above the ground on the trunk of the Qinan tree. The second, third, and fourth points were marked 25 cm above the ground, for a total of 4 points. All the points were uniformly sized and faced south.

[0022] S2: Using a flamethrower with a barrel diameter of about 20mm and a flame temperature greater than 800℃ and less than 1500℃, the marked points of S1 are burned from bottom to top for 45 seconds, with each marked point burned for 45 seconds.

[0023] After being burned, the tree activates defense-related signaling molecules, and the resulting secondary metabolites fill the phloem, wood rays, and vessels, gradually forming agarwood over time. The area around the wound on the agarwood tree transforms into agarwood after 6-12 months, and the agarwood formation is complete in January 2024, at which point harvesting can begin.

[0024] Example 2

[0025] A method for inducing resin formation in Qinan agarwood involves burning at specific points and for a set time. A blowtorch is used to burn selected points on the Qinan tree from bottom to top for a certain period, damaging most of the trunk to achieve the goal of resin formation. The operation steps are as follows:

[0026] S1: In April 2022, at the Guangxi Forestry Science and Technology Extension Demonstration Project Planting Experiment Base in Nalou Town, Yongning District, Nanning City, Guangxi, Qinan trees with an age of about 5 years, a diameter at breast height of about 5 cm, and good growth were selected. On a sunny day with an ambient temperature of ≥25℃ and sufficient sunlight, the first point was marked with chalk at a height of 28 cm above the ground on the trunk of the Qinan tree. The second, third, and fourth points were marked 28 cm above the ground, for a total of 4 points. All the points were uniformly sized and faced south.

[0027] S2: Using a flamethrower with a barrel diameter of about 20mm and a flame temperature greater than 800℃ and less than 1500℃, the marked points of S1 are burned from bottom to top for 60 seconds, with each marked point burned for 60 seconds.

[0028] After being burned, the tree activates defense-related signaling molecules, and the resulting secondary metabolites fill the phloem, wood rays, and vessels, gradually forming agarwood over time. The area around the wound on the agarwood tree transforms into agarwood after 6-12 months. In November 2023, agarwood formation was complete, and harvesting began.

[0029] Example 3

[0030] A method for inducing resin formation in Qinan agarwood involves burning at specific points and for a set time. A blowtorch is used to burn selected points on the Qinan tree from bottom to top for a certain period, damaging most of the trunk to achieve the goal of resin formation. The operation steps are as follows:

[0031] S1: In April 2022, at the Guangxi Forestry Science and Technology Extension Demonstration Project planting experimental base in Nalou Town, Yongning District, Nanning City, Guangxi, approximately 5-year-old Qinan trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of approximately 5cm and in good growth condition were selected. Under conditions of ambient temperature ≥25℃ and sunny, sufficient sunlight, a mark was made with chalk at a point 30cm above the ground on the trunk of the Qinan tree as the first mark. The second, third, and fourth marks were then made at intervals of 30cm upwards, for a total of four marks. Figure 1 As shown in the image (other markers are set up similarly, only the spacing and number of markers differ); all markers face south and are the same size;

[0032] S2: Using a flamethrower with a barrel diameter of about 20mm and a flame temperature greater than 800℃ and less than 1500℃, the marked points of S1 are burned from bottom to top for 75 seconds, with each marked point burned for 75 seconds.

[0033] After being burned, the tree activates defense-related signaling molecules, and the resulting secondary metabolites fill the phloem, wood rays, and vessels, gradually forming agarwood over time. The area around the wound on the agarwood tree transforms into agarwood after 6-12 months. In November 2023, agarwood formation was complete, and harvesting began.

[0034] Comparative Example 1

[0035] S2: Burning treatment for 15 seconds. The remaining operations are the same as in Example 3.

[0036] Comparative Example 2

[0037] S2: Burning treatment for 30 seconds. The remaining operations are the same as in Example 3.

[0038] Comparative Example 3

[0039] S2: Burning treatment for 90 seconds. The remaining operations are the same as in Example 3.

[0040] Comparative Example 4

[0041] S2: Burning treatment for 105 seconds. The remaining operations are the same as in Example 3.

[0042] 1. Determination of the content of ethanol extract of Qinan agarwood

[0043] Weigh 1.0000g of the agarwood powder obtained in Examples 1-3 and Comparative Examples 1-4, place the sample in a 250ml conical flask, add 100ml of 95% ethanol using a pipette, seal tightly, weigh, let stand for 1h, connect a reflux condenser, heat to boiling, and maintain a gentle boil for 1h.

[0044] After cooling, remove the conical flask, seal it tightly, and weigh it again. Make up the weight loss with 95% ethanol, shake well, and filter through filter paper. Pipette 25 ml of the filtrate onto an evaporating dish that has been dried to constant weight. Evaporate to dryness in a water bath, then dry in an oven at 103±2℃ for 3 hours. Cool in a desiccator for 30 minutes and weigh quickly. Determine the ethanol extract content as X (%). Two measurements should be performed simultaneously, and the absolute error between the two measurements should not exceed 0.3%. The arithmetic mean of the two measurements should be taken as the measurement result, and the measurement result should be retained to two decimal places.

[0045] In the formula: m1 --- the mass of the ethanol extract and the evaporating dish, in grams (g).

[0046] m2 ---- The mass of the evaporating dish, in grams (g)

[0047] m----Sample mass, in grams (g)

[0048] All the above experiments were performed in three biological replicates, and the results are as follows: Figure 2 As shown.

[0049] from Figure 2 As can be seen, the content of agarwood ethanol extract shows an increasing trend when the burning time is between 15 and 75 seconds, the increasing trend is relatively slow between 60 and 75 seconds, and the content of agarwood ethanol extract shows a decreasing trend after 75 seconds, but the decreasing trend is relatively slow. The optimal burning time is 75 seconds, and since the change in agarwood ethanol extract is not significant between 60 and 75 seconds, the optimal burning time range is between 60 and 75 seconds.

[0050] 2. Determination of essential oil content in Qinan agarwood

[0051] Weigh 0.2000 g of the powdered agarwood samples obtained in Examples 1-3 and Comparative Examples 1-4, add 30 mL of diethyl ether, and extract by ultrasonic extraction in a low-temperature water bath for 30 min. Filter, repeat three times, combine the three filtrates in a beaker, soak in anhydrous sodium sulfate powder to dehydrate, allow the diethyl ether to evaporate naturally, place in a desiccator for 24 h, weigh, and calculate the essential oil content X (%).

[0052] In the formula, m1 represents the mass of the essential oil extract and the beaker, expressed in grams (g).

[0053] m2----The mass of the beaker, in grams (g);

[0054] m----Sample mass, in grams (g);

[0055] All the above experiments were performed in three biological replicates, and the results are as follows: Figure 3 As shown.

[0056] from Figure 3 As can be seen, the content of agarwood essential oil increases when the burning time is between 15 and 75 seconds, the increase is relatively gradual between 60 and 75 seconds, and the content of agarwood ethanol extract decreases after 75 seconds, but the decrease is relatively gradual. The optimal burning time is 75 seconds, and since the change in agarwood ethanol extract is not significant between 60 and 75 seconds, the optimal burning time range is between 60 and 75 seconds.

[0057] Comparative Example 5

[0058] S1: In April 2022, at the Guangxi Forestry Science and Technology Extension Demonstration Project planting experimental base in Nalou Town, Yongning District, Nanning City, Guangxi, 5-year-old Aquilaria sinensis trees with a diameter at breast height of about 5 cm and good growth were selected. Under sunny conditions with an ambient temperature ≥25℃, a mark was made with chalk at a point 30 cm above the ground on the trunk of the Aquilaria sinensis tree as the first mark. The second, third, and fourth marks were then made at intervals of 30 cm upwards, for a total of four marks. All marks faced south and were of the same size. The remaining operations were the same as in Example 3.

[0059] After being burned, the tree activates defense-related signaling molecules, and the resulting secondary metabolites fill the phloem, wood rays, and vessels, gradually forming agarwood over time. The area around the wound on the agarwood tree transforms into agarwood after 6-12 months, and harvesting was conducted in November 2023. Following the methods described above ("1. Determination of the ethanol extract content of Qinan agarwood" and "2. Determination of the essential oil content of Qinan agarwood"), the content of alcohol-soluble extracts and essential oils in the agarwood formed from the soil-grown agarwood was determined. The alcohol-soluble extract content was 13.26%, and the essential oil content was 6.03%.

[0060] The foregoing description of specific exemplary embodiments of the invention is for illustrative and explanatory purposes. These descriptions are not intended to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and it will be apparent that many changes and variations can be made in accordance with the foregoing teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the specific principles of the invention and its practical application, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to implement and utilize various different exemplary embodiments of the invention, as well as various different choices and variations. The scope of the invention is intended to be defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for burning and sintering of Agarwood of Agarwood tree, characterized in that, The method involves targeted, timed burning of the agarwood tree using a flamethrower, burning selected points from bottom to top for a specific period of time to damage most of the trunk, thereby inducing the formation of resin. The procedure includes the following steps: S1: Select a Qinan tree that is ≥5 years old, has a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥5cm, and is in good growth condition. Mark the first point on the trunk 25-30cm above the ground. Then mark the second and third points 25-30cm above the ground, and so on. All the marking points should face south and be the same size. Generally, there should be 4-5 marking points. If the selected Qinan tree has a large DBH, the number of marking points should be increased accordingly. S2: Burn the marked point of S1 for 60-75 seconds; the flame temperature of the burning treatment is greater than 800℃ and less than 1500℃; the diameter of the nozzle of the flame gun used for the burning treatment is 20mm; after 6-12 months, the part around the wound on the agarwood tree will turn into agarwood.

2. The application of the method for burning agarwood to form resin as described in claim 1 in the process of forming resin in agarwood.

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