Premium
Impact of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry combined with gas chromatography and olfactometry for the sex differentiation of Baccharis articulata by the analysis of volatile compounds
Author(s) -
Minteguiaga Manuel,
Umpiérrez Noelia,
Fariña Laura,
Falcão Manuel A.,
Xavier Vanessa. B.,
Cassel Eduardo,
Dellacassa Eduardo
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of separation science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.72
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1615-9314
pISSN - 1615-9306
DOI - 10.1002/jssc.201500131
Subject(s) - baccharis , olfactometry , gas chromatography , asteraceae , aroma , limonene , chemistry , shrub , gas chromatography–mass spectrometry , chromatography , botany , mass spectrometry , essential oil , biology , food science
The Baccharis genus has more than 400 species of aromatic plants. However, only approximately 50 species have been studied in oil composition to date. From these studies, very few take into consideration differences between male and female plants, which is a significant and distinctive factor in Baccharis in the Asteraceae family. Baccharis articulata is a common shrub that grows wild in south Brazil, northern and central Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay. It is considered to be a medicinal plant and is employed in traditional medicine. We report B. articulata male and female volatile composition obtained by simultaneous distillation–extraction technique and analyzed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. Also, an assessment of aromatic differences between volatile extracts was evaluated by gas chromatography with olfactometry. The results show a very similar chemical composition between male and female extracts, with a high proportion of terpene compounds of which β‐pinene, limonene and germacrene D are the main components. Despite the chemical similarity, great differences in aromatic profile were found: male plant samples exhibited the strongest odorants in number and intensity of aromatic attributes. These differences explain field observations which indicate differences between male and female flower aroma, and might be of ecological significance in the attraction of pollinating insects.