DISTINGUISHING NATIVE AND PLANTATION-GROWN MAHOGANY (SWIETENIA MACROPHYLLA) TIMBER USING CHROMATOGRAPHY AND HIGH-RESOLUTION QUADRUPOLE TIME-OF-FLIGHT MASS SPECTROMETRY

Abstract

. Plantation-grown mahogany ( Swietenia macrophylla ) from Fiji has been preferred as a sustainable wood source for the crafting of electric guitars because its trade is not restricted by Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), unlike S. macrophylla sourced from native forests. Ability to differentiate between the two wood types would deter sale of illegally harvested native-grown S. macrophylla to luthiers and other artisans. The chemical composition of wood is in fl uenced by cambial age and geographical factors, and there are chemical differences between S. macrophylla grown in different regions. This study tested the ability of high-resolution mass spectrometry to chemotypically differentiate plantation-grown Fijian S. macrophylla from the same wood species obtained from native forests. Multiple heartwood specimens of both wood types were extracted and chromatographically pro fi led using gas and liquid chromatography tandem high-resolution quadrupole time-of-fl ight mass spectrometry (GC/QToF, LC/QToF). Visual comparison of mass spectral ions, together with modern analytical data-mining techniques, were employed to screen the results. Principal component analysis scatter plots with 95% con fi dence ellipses showed unambiguous separation of the two wood types by GC/LC/QToF. We conclude that screening of heartwood extractives using high-resolution mass spectrometry offers an effective way of identifying and sepa-rating plantation-grown Fijian S. macrophylla from wood grown in native forests.