ABSTRACT
This study is outlined to probe the chemical composition of essential oil and in vitro antioxidant activity of Juniperus oxycedrus ssp. macrocarpa (S. & m.) Ball. and Juniperus oxycedrus L. ssp. rufescens (L. K.) berries, collected from four sites, according to their maturity phase. The chemical composition of the hydrodistilled essential oil was analysed by GC-MS. Forty-eight compounds were identified, accounting for approximately 79.8-98.9% of the oil. The main constituents were α-pinene, germacrene D, myrcene, abietadiene and cis-calamenene, their mean percentage vary according to their phenological stage. The antioxidant activity of the samples was determined by the ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging activities. Hawaria essential oil extracted from mature berries showed the highest antioxidant capacity.
Subject(s)
Antioxidants/pharmacology , Juniperus/chemistry , Oils, Volatile/chemistry , Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry , Oils, Volatile/pharmacologyABSTRACT
This study is designed to examine the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of the essential oil of Juniperus phoenicea L. ripe and unripe berries. GC and GC/MS analyses resulted in the detection of 42 components representing approximately 96.50-99.57% of the oils. Major components of the oils were α-pinene (58.61-77.39%), camphene (0.67-9.31%), δ-3-carene (0-10.01%) and trans-verbenol (0-5.24%). Antioxidant activities were determined by two different test systems, DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities. In both systems ripe berries exhibited better activity potential than the unripe ones.
