Chemical Composition and Variability of Leaf and Berry oils from Corsican Juniperus macrocarpa

Abstract

The chemical composition of five leaf oil samples and eighteen berry oil samples from Corsican Juniperus macrocarpa have been investigated by GC(RI), GC-MS and 13C NMR. The composition of berry oils was dominated by monoterpene hydrocarbons with α-pinene (56.4-78.9%) as main component followed by myrcene (2.2-11.9%). Germacrene D (4.5-103%) was the major sesquiterpene. The contents of the main components of leaf oils varied drastically from sample to sample: α-pinene (28.7-76.4%), δ3-carene (up to 17.3%), β-phellandrene (up to 12.3%), manoyl oxide (up to 8.1%). The occurrence of the unusual ( Z)-pentadec-6-en-2-one (0.1-1.2%) should be pointed out. Statistical analysis (Principal Component Analysis and k- means partition) suggested a unique group with atypical samples.