title: Essential oil composition and variability of Laurus nobilis L. growing in Tunisia, comparison and chemometric investigation of different plant organs.
abstract: Stems, leaves, buds and flowers of Laurus nobilis L. growing wild in Tunisia were analysed for their essential oil composition. The essential oil of Laurus nobilis L. gathered from different stations were isolated by hydrodistillation and analysed by GC/MS. The oil yields on a dry weight basis ranged between 0.4% and 1.1%. The major component identified was 1,8-cineole, other predominant components were alpha-terpinyl acetate, methyl eugenol, eugenol and linalool. Although the same compounds were present in all plant organs, the leaves differed from the stems in the concentration of 1,8-cineole and methyl eugenol, buds and flowers in the concentration of 1,8-cineole and the stem's oil composition differs from the others in content of methyl eugenol. The results obtained from GC/MS analysis of the volatile oils from individual plant organs were submitted to principal component analysis. Chemometric investigations led to differentiation of stems, leaves and buds-flowers with the respect to the content of 1,8-cineole, metyhyl eugenol and alpha-terpynil acetate; flowers and buds were non-differentiated. Finally, the antibacterial activity of the leaves' essential oils has been assayed.
authors.affiliation: Faculte des Sciences de Tunis, Laboratoire de Botanique et de Biologie Vegetale, Monastir, Tunisia.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Marzouki
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piras
authors.forename: K Bel Haj
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Salah
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Medini
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pivetta
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bouzid
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marongiu
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Falconieri
mesh_terms: D000080462:Acyclic Monoterpenes; D003511:Cyclohexanols / Q000737:chemistry; D000077591:Eucalyptol; D005054:Eugenol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry; D035264:Flowers / Q000737:chemistry; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D027442:Laurus / Q000737:chemistry*; D039821:Monoterpenes / Q000737:chemistry; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000737:chemistry*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000737:chemistry; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D013729:Terpenes / Q000737:chemistry; D014416:Tunisia
chemical_list: D000080462:Acyclic Monoterpenes; D003511:Cyclohexanols; D039821:Monoterpenes; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D013729:Terpenes; C005223:methyleugenol; D005054:Eugenol; C018584:linalool; C019564:terpinyl acetate; D000077591:Eucalyptol