Chemical composition of essential oils of leaves and flowers from five cultivars of myrtle (Myrtus communisL.)

Abstract

The composition of essential oils extracted from leaves and flowers of five selected cultivars of myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) growing in the same orchard was determined by GC/MS at the full bloom time. Yields of essential oil by hydrodistillation ranged from 1.2 to 3.2 g·kg −1 of leaf fresh weight, while flower essential oil yield was comprised between 1.2 and 4.4 g·kg −1 . Fifty-one compounds were identified with a percentage of corresponding peak ranging from 94.3 to 99.8% of the total. The main components of the essential oils were 1,8-cineole, linalool, and α-terpineol. Dihydroeugenyl-butanoate was the main component of the flower oil of the 'Daniela' cultivar with a rate of 19.45%, while in the 'Barbara' flower oil reached the 21.24%. This compound was not previously detected in the essential oils of myrtle, as well as the dihydroeugenyl-pentanoate, which ranged from 1.40 to 6.82% when detected. Other main compounds of the essential oils were α-pinene, limonene, bornyl-acetate, eugenol, geranyl-acetate, and methyleugenol.

A Two‐Year Bio‐Agronomic and Chemotaxonomic Evaluation of Wild Sicilian Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) Berries and Leaves

“…Myrtle has also been intensively studied for the essential oil obtained from the whole aerial part of the plant, [10] leaves, [30] flowers [31] and berries. [32] Different chemical profiles according to different plant parts sampled or different populations were registered.…”

Chemical Composition of Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) Berries Essential Oils as Observed in a Collection of Genotypes

“…Finally, we detected both the presence of previously described chemotypes or associations of main components and the original nature of some chemical profiles not previously reported for myrtle berries. This was the case of RUM12 with prevalence of metyleugenol, trans-caryophyllene oxide and dihydroeugenyl pentanoate, a recently described compound for the myrtle leaf and flower essential oils [ 13 ], and 38 other compounds in a very complex essential oil. Other genotypes showed chemical profiles of the essential oils absolutely originals: CPT3 with neryl acetate, α -humulene and α -selinene as main components; V7 with α -humulene, Trans -caryophyllene oxide and humulene epoxide II; and ORO2 with neryl acetate, Trans -caryophyllene oxide, and selinene-11-en-4- α -ol.…”

“…There are many scientific articles on the composition and biological activities of Myrtus communis ; most studies on myrtle have focused on its volatile fraction. Due to its importance in the perfume and flavor industry, the chemical composition of myrtle essential oils was previously studied mainly in leaves from different geographic areas: Italy, Sardinia, Corsica, Tunisia, Algeria, Greece, Cyprus, Montenegro, Croatia, and Iran [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ].…”

“…Several studies have indicated the activities of Myrtus chemical components [ 31 , 32 , 33 ]. Less information is available on myrtle essential oil from flowers [ 13 , 17 , 23 , 34 ].…”

Chemotaxonomic Evaluation by Volatolomics Analysis of Fifty-Two Genotypes of Myrtus communis L.

“…Some parts of the plant are used in the food industry for flavoring meat and sauces, and its leaves have been extensively used in perfume and cosmetic industries [ 3 , 4 ]. Myrtle has also been intensively studied for its essential oil obtained from the whole aerial part of the plant [ 5 ], leaves [ 3 , 6 ], flowers [ 3 ], and berries [ 4 ]. Different chemical profiles according to different plant parts sampled, or different test populations, have been registered.…”