Chemical composition of the essential oil of Pistacia lentiscus L. from Morocco—a seasonal variation

Abstract

Air-dried aerial parts of Pistacia lentiscus L. collected from different regions of Morocco (Mehdia, Oulmes and Chaouen) were water-distilled to produce oil in 0.2% yields. The chemical composition of P. lentiscus oils changes from a region to another. The variations in chemical composition are important between plant populations. A total of 45 constituents were identified. The major oil components of P. lentiscus from Oulmes were α-pinene (16.5-38.5%), β-myrcene (10.2-11.5%) and limonene (6.8-9.8%), while terpinen-4-ol (32.7-43.8%), α-pinene (7.1-13.5%) and bornyl acetate (6.8-10.3%) were the main constituents of Chaouen oil. For P. lentiscus from Mehdia, terpinen-4-ol (14.5-19.3%), caryophyllene oxide (6.5-10.3%) and limonene (6.7-8.1%) were the major components. The effect of harvesting time on the oil production and chemical composition was also examined at different vegetative stages (December-June). For the three locations, the best oil content was obtained during the flowering period March-June.

Evaluation of the volatile and chiral composition in Pistacia lentiscus L. essential oil

“…In particular, some publications reported α-pinene and terpinen-4-ol as the main components in plants from Morocco and Tunisia. 13,29 The same results were recently reported by Gardeli et al for plants harvested in Greece. 30 The high level of sesquiterpenes found in the HD oils of the present study is somewhat in agreement with the ¼ndings of other two investigations on Algerian oils, 31,32 where the most abundant compounds were germacrene D and longifolene, respectively.…”

“…9 Although there is a high interest in the plant and its products, the chemical composition of the essential oil derived from the aerial parts is not clear, because it is greatly in½uenced by both geographical origin and isolation technique. Generally, studies have been carried out by using hydrodistillation (HD), with a series of papers reporting the composition of essential oils from various countries, characterized by different main components: myrcene (19%, Spain); 10 α-pinene (15%, France); 11 terpinen-4-ol (22%, Sardinia; 33-44%, Morocco); 12,13 δ-3-carene (65%, Egypt); 14 and α-terpineol (13%, Israel). 15 One particular study carried out on galls from P. lentiscus emphasizes the presence of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (47%), basically (E)-caryophyllene, δ-cadinene and germacrene D. 16 On the contrary, pharmacological studies have been carried out mainly by using the solvent extraction technique, 6,8,[17][18][19] and in only a few cases 20,21 has the HD oil been used for such biological evaluations.…”

The evaluation of the nutritional potential of five Mediterranean woody plants rich in phytocompounds

“…In addition to region and climate effects, Carvalho et al (2005) claimed that the composition of EOs depended on the extraction technique. However, the variation in EOs profiles would be induced by the presence of chemotypes (Zrira et al, 2003).…”

“…PIS growing in Egypt was characterized by Δ-3-carene, β-bisabolene and β-bourbonene (Zrira et al, 2003). Camphor is the major component in ART EOs.…”

Physicochemical Characteristics and Sub Chronic Oral Toxicity of <i>Pistacia lentiscus</i> L. Vegetable Oil in Rabbits

“…Pistacia lentiscus L. (Anacardiaceae) is a dense shrub, with a strong characteristic odor and green leaves, growing in many Mediterranean countries (Zrira et al, 2003). In Algeria, it is found on any type of soil, subhumid and semi-arid and scattered along the coast and grows in diverse habitats along a climate gradient that varies in saline radiation, temperature and precipitation (Saadoune, 2005;Ait Said et al, 2011).…”