Chemical Composition of the Essential Oil of the Endemic Species <i>Micromeria frivaldszkyana</i> (Degen) Velen.

Abstract

Micromeria frivaldszkyana is an endemic species found only in Bulgaria. Its essential oil (EO) composition is unknown. This study assessed the EO yield and composition of M. frivaldszkyana as a function of the location and of drying prior to the EO extraction. M. frivaldszkyana was sampled from two natural habitats, Uzana and Shipka in the Balkan Mountains; the EO was extracted via hydrodistillation and analyzed on GC/MS. The plants from the two locations had distinct EO composition. The EO content (in dried material) was 0.18% (Uzana) and 0.26% (Shipka). Monoterpene ketones were the major group of the EO constituents. Also, hydrocarbons predominated in the EO from Shipka, and alcohols predominated in the EO from Uzana. The EO from Uzana had a greater concentration of menthone (56% vs. 17% from Shipka) and neomenthol (7.8% vs. 2.4%). Conversely, the EO from Shipka had greater concentrations of pulegone (50% vs. 20% from Uzana), limonene (10.1% vs. 2.6%), and germacrene D (3.4% vs. 1.1%). Drying prior to the EO extraction altered the concentration of some constituents. This is the first report of M. frivaldszkyana EO yield and composition. The EO showed some similarities with the chemical profile of other Micromeria species, but overall, it has an unique chemical profile and may have distinctive applications.

Keywords

• endemic
• essential oil
• medicinal plant
• pulegone
• menthone
• neomenthol
• monoterpenes
• ketones