Characterization of volatile components of tea flowers (Camellia sinensis) growing in Kangra by GC/MS.

Volatile flavour components of tea flowers (Camellia sinensis) were isolated by two methods viz. simultaneous distillation extraction (SDE), supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), analyzed by GC and GC/MS and compared with headspace analysis (HS). The composition of the volatile components extracted by the three methods differed considerably. In SFE, phenylethanol (14.7%), linalool (7.9%), (E)-linalool oxide furanoid (3.5%), epoxy linalool (1.6%), geraniol (2.3%) and hotrienol (1.5%) were major components. m-Xylene (2.6%), (E)-linalool oxide pyranoid (5.4%), p-myrcene (5.2%), alpha-cadinol (4.3%) and methyl palmitate (2.9%) were major compounds isolated by SDE. 3-hexenol (2.1%) (E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene (20.9%) and linalool (35.1%) are major components in headspace analysis. Acetophenone and pheromone germacrene D is detected in tea flowers by all the methods studied. Floral, fresh and fruity odour of tea flowers is retained by SFE as there is very little loss of heat sensitive volatiles in SFE. The flavour isolated from SFE has superior quality compared to SDE.

Comparison of the volatile constituents of Elsholtzia fruiticosa extracted by hydrodistillation, supercritical fluid extraction and head space analysis.

Volatile constituents of Elsholtzia fruiticosa (D. Don) Rehder were studied by two different extraction techniques, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and hydrodistillation (HD), and the results were compared with head space analysis (HS). Thirty-five constituents were identified in both the SFE and HD oils and fourteen in the HS, accounting for 94.2%, 97.7% and 96.9% of the total identifications, respectively. A distinctive feature of the results was the very high content of non-terpenes (59.8%) in the HS, the high content of oxygenated monoterpenes (41.1%) in the HD oil and the high content of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (21.8%) in the SFE oil. Monoterpene hydrocarbons were represented in HS (13.6%), HD (19.4%) and SFE (4.3%). In SFE sesquiterpene hydrocarbons formed 21.8% of the total, as compared to 6.6% in the HD and 1.1% in the HS Oxygenated sesquiterpenes represented 3.0% in SFE, 0.8% in HD and were absent in HS. Diterpenes were only present in the SFE oil (3.4%). Non-terpenes were represented by 24.5% in the SFE oil and 29.8% in the HD oil.