Valorization of the Sabinas Forest Waste (Juniperus Phoenicea and Juniperus Thurifera) as Source of Biopesticides

The study investigates the potential use of Juniperus phoenicea and Juniperus thurifera pruning woods as sources of biopesticides. Through hydrodistillation and extraction processes, the essential oils and extracts were analyzed for their chemical composition and biological activities. The oxygenated fraction of essential oils from J. thurifera and J. phoenicea demonstrated significant antitick activity, with EC50 values of 3.4 μg/mg and 10 μg/mg, respectively. Additionally, cedrol and methyl hinokiate from J. thurifera showed strong antifungal effects against Aspergillus niger. The study concludes that these pruning woods are renewable sources of bioactive compounds like cedrol, thujopsene, nootkatone, and totarol.