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Myrtus communis in Tunisia: variability of the essential oil composition in natural populations
Author(s) -
Messaoud C.,
Zaouali Y.,
Salah A. Ben,
Khoudja M. L.,
Boussaid M.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
flavour and fragrance journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.393
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1099-1026
pISSN - 0882-5734
DOI - 10.1002/ffj.1490
Subject(s) - myrtus communis , camphene , limonene , linalool , essential oil , botany , alpha pinene , composition (language) , chemistry , hexane , monoterpene , horticulture , biology , chromatography , linguistics , philosophy
The essential oil of 12 Tunisian natural populations of Myrtus communis L. (Myrtacea), prospected in three bioclimatic stages (humid inferior, sub‐humid and semi‐arid superior) were analyzed. Oil was extracted by n ‐hexane from crushed leaves and analysed by GC and GC‐MS. Twenty‐four components, representing approximately 79.10% of the oil, were identified. The major constituents were α ‐pinene (19.20%) and 1,8‐cineole (15.96%). The other important constituents were linalool (7.66%), α ‐terpineol (7.51%) and limonene (5.75%). The percentage of all components varied within and among populations according to their bioclimatic appurtenance. α ‐Pinene, camphene and 1,8‐cineole were the main compounds to differentiate the populations according to the bioclimate. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.