Potential of Sumatran Frankincense ( Styrax benzoin ) In Vitro Technique for Producing Bioactive Alkaloids as a Strategy to Maintain the Preservation of Forest Plants

Bioactive alkaloids that are naturally produced by plants need to be explored to identify chemical compounds with medicinal properties for pharmaceutical or industrial purposes. Sumatran Frankincense ( Styrax benzoin ) is known as a forest plant in North Sumatra, Indonesia, and produces bark sap containing bioactive compounds. The sap has been used as an ingredient in traditional and modern medicine. The problem is that producing incense resin is carried out by injuring the bark of the plant which has the potential to damage the plant. In vitro techniques are assumed to be an alternative for producing bioactive compounds to maintain plant sustainability. The research aims to obtain an in vitro technique for Sumatran Frankincense to produce bioactive alkaloids with medicinal properties as a strategy to maintain the sustainability of woody forest plants. The research stages include in vitro propagation of Sumatran Frankincense to produce callus raw materials, followed by bioactive isolation techniques, identification, and confirmation of the alkaloid compounds contained in the callus. The research succeeded in obtaining optimum conditions for the in vitro technique of producing callus, using MS media enriched with 3 mg/L IBA and 3 mg/L NAA to produce good quality callus in large quantities. The isolation from callus macerated using ethanol to produce a crude isolate that was positive for alkaloids. The crude isolate was purified by acid–base extraction using an organic solvent and fractionated by column chromatography to produce a pure alkaloid fraction. The alkaloid is in the form of a yellowish powder with a characteristic aroma, melting point of 129°C, boiling point of 307°C, and density of 1193 g·cm −1 , and it soluble in chloroform and alcohol solvents and insoluble in cold water. Identification of alkaloids using FT‐IR and GC‐MS confirmed the presence of the main compound piperine along with other chemical compounds. This study is a model for isolating alkaloids from callus to confirm the potential of the Sumatran Frankincense in vitro technique in producing compounds with medicinal properties.