Headspace-solid-phase microextraction fast GC in combination with principal component analysis as a tool to classify different chemotypes of chamomile flower-heads (Matricaria recutita l.).
Headspace-solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-principal component analysis (HS-SPME GC-PCA) is proposed as a complementary or alternative method to essential oil (EO) GC-PCA in order to discriminate between flower-heads of chamomile of different chemotypes. Ninety-two EOs and the headspaces sampled by HS-SPME of the corresponding chamomile flower-heads were examined by conventional GC and fast GC (F-GC) and the results submitted to statistical analysis by PCA. HS-SPME F-GC-PCA showed itself to be a rapid technique by which to distinguish chamomile flower-head chemotypes a produced results in agreement with the accepted EO classification. Using this method, the analysis time was reduced from at least 4.5 h with EO conventional GC to less than 1 h with HS-SPME F-GC. This approach can thus successfully be used as an analytical decision maker in order to reduce the number of time-consuming EO conventional GC analyses by limiting them to those samples that cannot unequivocally be classified. The EO conventional GC and HS-SPME F-GC results of PCA were very uniform, but they did not provide quantitative correlations between the components as determined by the two methods. A different statistical approach and a larger number of samples will be needed in order to correlate components in the headspace sampled by SPME and those in the corresponding EO quantitatively through a function.
Rubiolo
Patrizia
P
Dipartimento di Scienza e Tecnologia del Farmaco, Università di Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 9, 1-10125 Torino, Italy. patrizia.rubiolo@unito.it
Belliardo
Flavio
F
Cordero
Chiara
C
Liberto
Erica
E
Sgorbini
Barbara
B
Bicchi
Carlo
C
D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods*; D035264:Flowers / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification; D031168:Matricaria / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification*; D000081222:Monocyclic Sesquiterpenes; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry
D000081222:Monocyclic Sesquiterpenes; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; C004497:bisabolol