RESUMO
Jasmines are commercially grown for their fragrant flowers and essential oil. The present study investigates the composition of the volatile compounds from flowers of Jasminum sambac cv. Ramanthapuram Gundumalli and its variants that were evolved through colchicine. GC-MS analysis revealed that the flowers possessed major terpenes and sesquiterpenes such as Linalool, α-farnesene, germacrene-D, geranyl Linalool and D-Limonene as well as benzenoids (including benzyl acetate, benzyl alcohol and (Z)-Cinnamyl benzoate). The relative abundance of these volatile compounds in the variants have shown higher percentages than their wild-type (parent) which indicates that the variants possessed enhanced volatile composition. The new variations generated in floral volatile composition of J. sambac through polyploidisation are likely to have significant impact on the loose flower and perfume industries. Besides, the identified unique compounds can also be used as metabolic signatures to characterise the novel variants.
