Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oil of Six Pinus Taxa Native to China
College of Forestry, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, China
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Luca Forti
Molecules 2015, 20(5), 9380-9392; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules20059380
Received: 12 March 2015 / Accepted: 19 May 2015 / Published: 21 May 2015
(This article belongs to the Collection Recent Advances in Flavors and Fragrances)
The essential oils obtained by steam distillation from needles of six China endemic Pinus taxa (P. tabulaeformis, P. tabulaeformis f. shekanensis, P. tabulaeformis var. mukdensis, P. tabulaeformis var. umbraculifera, P. henryi and P. massoniana) were analysed by GC/MS. A total of 72 components were separated and identified by GC/MS from the six taxa. The major constituents of the essential oils were: α-pinene (6.78%–20.55%), bornyl acetale (3.32%–12.71%), β-caryophellene (18.26%–26.31%), α-guaiene (1.23%–8.19%), and germacrene D (1.26%–9.93%). Moreover, the essential oils were evaluated for antioxidant potential by three assays (DPPH, FRAP and ABTS) and tested for their total phenolic content. The results showed that all essential oils exhibited acceptable antioxidant activities and these strongly suggest that these pine needles may serve as a potential source of natural antioxidants for food and medical purposes.
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Keywords:
pine needle; essential oil; GC/MS; antioxidant activity
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MDPI and ACS Style
Xie, Q.; Liu, Z.; Li, Z. Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oil of Six Pinus Taxa Native to China. Molecules 2015, 20, 9380-9392.
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