Evaluation of the Chemical Composition of Brazilian Commercial Cymbopogon citratus (D.C.) Stapf Samples

Molecules

Luiz Cláudio Almeida Barbosa²  Ulisses Alves Pereira²  Ana Paula Martinazzo¹  Célia Regina Álvares Maltha²  R༻son Ricardo Teixeira² 

[1] Department of Agricultural Engineering, Fluminense Federal University, Volta Redonda, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; E-mail:;Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Viçosa, 36570-000, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil; E-mails:

关键词: Cymbopogon citratus;    lemongrass;    citronella grass;    essential oil;    losses and changes of oil;   

DOI  :  10.3390/molecules13081864

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The concentration and the chemical composition of the essential oils obtained from different samples of Cymbopogon citratus were evaluated. Among the 12 samples investigated (11 dried leaf samples and fresh plant leaves), seven presented essential oil concentrations within the threshold established by the Brazilian legislation. The moisture content was also determined and the majority of the samples presented humidity contents near 12%. The GC and GC/MS analyses of the essential oils led to identification of 22 compounds, with neral and geranial as the two major components. The total percentage of these two compounds varied within the investigated sample oils from 40.7% to 75.4%. In addition, a considerable variation in the chemical composition of the analyzed samples was observed. The process of grinding the leaves significantly decreased (by up to 68%) the essential oil content, as well as the percentage of myrcene in the oils.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2008 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland.