Volatile Constituents of Melissa officinalis Leaves Determined by Plant Age

Abstract

The present study investigated changes in the content and chemical composition of the essential oil extracted by hydrodistillation from air-dried Melissa officinalis L. (lemon balm) leaves in the first and second year of plant growth. The lemon balm oil was analysed by GC-MS and GC-FID. The presence of 106 compounds, representing 100% of the oil constituents, was determined in the oil. The predominant components were geranial (45.2% and 45.1%) and neral (32.8% and 33.8%); their proportions in the examined samples of the oil obtained from one-and two-year-old plants were comparable. However, the age of lemon balm plants affected the concentration of other constituents and the proportions of the following compounds were subject to especially high fluctuations: citronellal (8.7% and 0.4%), geraniol (trace amounts and 0.6%), and geranyl acetate (0.5% and 3.0%), as well as, among others, isogeranial, E-caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, germacrene D, and carvacrol. The essential oil of two-year-old plants was characterized by a richer chemical composition than the oil from younger plants.

ONTOGENETIC VARIABILITY IN THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF WINTER SAVORY (Satureja montana L.) HERB YIELD

“…3). Research on lemon balm [Nurzyńska-Wierdak et al 2014] and lemon grass [Rocha et al 2014] shows that plant age may cause differences in the content of essential oil to a lesser extent than in its chemical composition. Santos et al [2012], on the other hand, demonstrated that in the case of harvest of Alpinia zerumbet (Zingiberaceae) leaves, with increasing age there is a significant increase in plant biomass as well as in essential oil content and yield.…”

Alcohol Induced Alterations to the Human Fecal VOC Metabolome

“…As listed in Table 2 , nine metabolites were found to be significantly decreased in the home collected alcoholic fecal samples. Of these, caryophyllene, a widely dispersed phytochemical [ 44 – 46 ], is a well characterized agonist of the cannabinoid receptor 2. Interestingly, the association of caryophyllene with the cannabinoid receptor 2 has been shown to reduce voluntary alcohol intake in mice and as such the receptor has been suggested as a target for the pharmaceutical intervention of alcoholism [ 47 ].…”

Phytochemistry of the essential oil of Melissa officinalis L. growing wild in Morocco: Preventive approach against nosocomial infections

“…In Iran, the main components were (E)-citral (37.2%), neral (23.9%) and citronellal (20.3%) [21] . However, the age of lemon balm plants affected the concentration of other constituents and the proportions of the following compounds were subject to especially high fluctuations: citronellal (8.7% and 0.4%), geraniol (trace amounts and 0.6%), and geranyl acetate (0.5% and 3.0%), as well as, among others, isogeranial, E-caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, germacrene D, and carvacrol [22] .…”

“…Each microorganism stock was suspended in Mueller-Hinton (MH) broth and then incubated at 37 C for [18][19][20][21][22][23][24] h. The overnight cultures were diluted and adjusted in order to get a density of 10 8 CFU/mL (0.5 McFarland turbidity standard). They were flood-inoculated onto the surface of MH agar and 6 mm diameter, and sterile filter discs of Whatman paper No.…”