Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Algerian Juniperus Phoenicea Essential Oil

ABSTRACT

Berries and branches essential oil of Juniperus phoenicea were obtained by electromagnetic induction heating assisted extraction and by hydrodistillation with a yield varied from (1.2 ± 0.3 to 2.4 ± 0.7%) and from (0.6 ± 0.1% to 1.1 ± 0.1%), respectively. forty eight compounds were identified representing (97.2 – 99.7%) of the oil. α-Pinene (40.3 – 67.8%) and δ-3-carene (13.5 – 26.8%) were the main compounds in berries and branches essential oils. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by three means inhibition of 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical, reducing power and β-Carotene/linoleic acid bleaching. The antioxidant activity of essential oils showed IC₅₀ ranging from 67.6 ± 1.02 µg/mL to 131.5 ± 0.8 µg/mL for berries and from 98 ± 1.25 µg/mL to 166.8 ± 0.29 µg/mL for the branches. Berries oil show more potent antioxidant activity compared to branches. This result is supported by the three methods investigated in this work.