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921
Acta Chim. Slov. 2007, 54, 921–926
Viuda-Martos et al.: Chemical Composition of the Essential Oils Obtained From Some Spices Widely ...
Technical paper
Chemical Composition of the Essential Oils Obtained
From Some Spices Widely Used
in Mediterranean Region
Manuel Viuda-Martos, Yolanda Ruíz-Navajas, Juana Fernández-López*,
José Angel Pérez-Álvarez
Tecnología Agroalimentaria, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Orihuela (Universidad Miguel Hernández),
Ctra. Beniel, km 3.2, E-03312 Orihuela (Alicante), Spain
* Corresponding author: E-mail: j.fernandez@umh.es, Tel.: +34966749734, Fax: +34966749677.
Received: 03-05-2007
Abstract
Spices are widely used in the countries of Southern Europe and North Africa where they play a central role in the
Mediterranean diet. Spices are used for their flavour and aroma and also for the sensations that they produce; they can
be used as colouring as for their nutritional and antioxidant properties.
The aim of this work was to determine the chemical composition of the essential oil of six spices widely used in the
Murcia Region (Spain): oregano (Origanum vulgare), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis),
sage (Salvia officinalis), cumin (Cuminum cyminum) and clove (Syzygium aromaticum L). Essential oils were
chemically analysed and identified by GC-MS.
The principal components of sage essential oil were camphor (24.95%), 1,8-cineole (24.75%) and camphene (7.63%).
Major oil components of oregano included carvacrol (61.21%) and p-cymene (15.12%). The essential oil of thyme was
characterized by a high content of terpinen-4-ol (13.15%), γ-terpinene (9.21%) and cis-sabinene hydrate (7.65%). The
predominant compounds in clove essential oil were eugenol (85.5%), β-caryophyllene (10.54%) and α-humulene
(3.12%) while β-pinene (12.75%), α-pinene (36.42%) and camphor (15.65%) were the main constituents of rosemary
essential oil. Cumin essential oil was manly composed of γ-pinene (27.4%), p-cymene (20.49%) and cuminal (20.39%).
Keywords: Essential oil, spices, chemical composition, GC/MS.
1. Introduction
Spice production in Mediterranean countries is
approximately 38 million tonnes per year, with Turkey
being the highest producer. Other countries, too, show
impressive production figures but are normally dedicated
to one specific spice; for example, in Spain, paprika is the
most important spice crop.1
Spices are aromatic plant products which are
frequently used to enhance food palatability. Most spices
were originally indigenous to the tropics; for instance,
cinnamon, pepper, clove and nutmeg. However, Mediter-
ranean countries have also provided a number of aromatic
seeds (coriander, mustard) and other spices such as bay
leaf, thyme and oregano.2At present, about 44000 ha are
dedicated to the production of spices in countries border-
ing the Mediterranean Sea.
Many essential oils and extracts obtained from
spices and plants have recently gained in interest both or
the general population and for the scientific community.1
Many plants are used for different purposes, for example,
in the food, drugs and perfumery sectors. Several rese-
archers have shown interest in biologically active
compounds isolated from plants and spices for elimi-
nating pathogenic microorganisms because of the resi-
stance that many microorganisms have built up to anti-
biotics.3
Culinary spices and herbs contain a wide variety
of active phytochemicals (including flavonoids,
terpenes, polyphenols, curcumins, coumarins) and may
fulfil more that one function in any food to which they
are added.4Spices also contain fibre, proteins, sugars,
cations and pigments (carotenoids, chlorophylls, etc.).
Phenolic compounds, as are vanillin, gallic acid, caffeic
acid, etc. are involved in olfactory, taste and tactile
922 Acta Chim. Slov. 2007, 54, 921–926
Viuda-Martos et al.: Chemical Composition of the Essential Oils Obtained From Some Spices Widely ...
sensations and volatile compounds such as essentials
oils.5
The aim of this work was to determine the chemical
composition of the essentials oils from several spices
widely used in Mediterranean countries: oregano (Origa-
num vulgare), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), rosemary (Ros-
marinus officinalis), sage (Salvia officinalis), cumin (Cu-
minum cyminum) and clove (Syzygium aromaticum).
2. Experimental
2. 1. Essential Oils
The essential oils of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.),
sage (Salvia officinalis L.), clove (Syzygium aromaticum
L.), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.), cumin (Cumi-
num ciminum L.) and oregano (Origanum vulgare L.)
were obtanined by steam distillation, and were purchased
from Ravetllat Aromatics, (Barcelona, Spain). The follo-
wing authentic compounds were employed as standards in
the gas-chromatography analyses: camphene, p-cymene,
eugenol, (+)-limonene, α-pinene, β-pinene, α-terpinene,
1,8-cineole, thymol, linalool and carvacrol (Extrasyn-
these, Lyons, France).
2. 2. Analysis Conditions
2. 2. 1. Gas Chromatography Analysis(GC)
The essentials oils were analysed using a Shimadzu
GC-17A equipped with FID detector and HP-5 MS
capillary column (30 m × 0.25 mm, film thickness 0.25
µm). Injector and detector temperatures were set at 250
and 270 °C, respectively. Oven temperature was kept at 50
°C for 3 min, then gradually raised to 240 °C at 3 °C/min.
Helium was the carrier gas, at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min.
Diluted samples (1/10 acetone, v/v) of 0.2 µL were injec-
ted manually in the split mode (split ratio 1/44). Quan-
titative data were obtained electronically from FID area
data without using correction factors. All the tests were
performed in triplicate.
2. 2. 2. Gas Chromatography/mass Spectrometry
Analysis (GC/MS)
Analysis of the essentials oils was performed using
a Shimadzu GC-17A equipped with a Shimadzu GCMS-
QP5050A mass selective detector and a HP-5 MS capi-
llary column (30 m × 0.25 mm, film thickness 0.25 µm).
For GC/MS detection, an electron ionization system with
an ionization energy of 70 eV was used. Helium at a flow
rate of 0.8 mL/min was used as carrier gas. Injector and
MS transfer line temperatures were set at 250 and 270 °C,
respectively. Oven program temperatures was the same as
for the GC analysis. Diluted samples (1/10 acetone, v/v)
of 0.2 µL were injected automatically in the split mode
(split ratio 1/44). The components were identified by
comparing their relative retention times and mass spectra
with those of standards (for the main components), Wiley
229 library data of the GC/MS system, Kovats Index and
literature data.6All the tests were performed in triplicate.
3. Results and Discussion
3. 1. Chemical Composition
of the Essential Oil
The chemical composition of the essential oil of
Thymus vulgaris L., Salvia officinalis L., Syzygium aro-
maticum L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Cuminum cymi-
num L. and Origanum vulgare L.was studied. The main
constituents of each oil, their relative percentage of the
total chromatogram area, Kovats index and retention
times are summarized in Table 1.
The six essential oils analyzed varied greatly in
composition. Some components were common to several
oils, but were present in large amounts in only a few oils,
whereas other components were found just in one oil. For
example, α-pinene was present in all the essential oils
except clove, but its percentage only exceeded 35% in
rosemary. In the essential oil of thyme, 52 compounds
were identified, representing 91.4% of the total oil, the
major constituents being terpinen-4-ol (13.15%),
γ-terpinene (9.21%), cis-sabinene hydrate (7.65%),
linalool (7.12%) and p-cymene (5.75%). Tomaino et al.7
reported that the major constituents of thyme essential oil
were thymol (45.3%), p-cymene (26.1%) and linalool
(6.17%). Several early studies on Thymus spices
suggested that the main components of the oils were
terpinen-4-ol, γ-terpinene, p-cymene in T. baeticus,8
carvacrol, γ-terpinene and p-cymene in T. revolutus,91,8
cineole and linalool in T. mastichina,10 p-cymene and
carvacrol in T. capitatus,11 thymol and p-cymene in
T. daenensis and thymol, carvacrol and p-cymene in
T. kotschyanus,12 thymol, carvacrol and p-cymene in
T. spathulifolius.13
This great variability and diversity observed, in the
chemical composition of the essential oils of Thymus
species and subspecies can be attributed to climatic and
soil variations, stage of the vegetative cycle, seasonal vari-
ation, etc.14 In some cases, two different varieties may
provide the same essential oil yield and quality, even tho-
ugh the plants are morphologically different.15 Some
studies have reported that thyme essential oil possesses a
high level of the phenolic precursors, p-cymene and
γ-terpinene, probably due to its early flowering time.16
When the essential oil of oregano was analyzed by
GC-MS 32 compounds were identified, representing
88.5% of the total oil, the major constituent being carvac-
rol (61.21%). Other important compounds were p-cymene
(15.12%) and γ-terpinene (4.80%). Sezik et al.17 investi-
gated the essential oil composition of four subspecies of
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Acta Chim. Slov. 2007, 54, 921–926
Viuda-Martos et al.: Chemical Composition of the Essential Oils Obtained From Some Spices Widely ...
Origanum vulgare, subsp. hirtum (Link) Ietswaart, subsp.
gracile (C. Koch) Ietswaart, subsp. vulgare and subsp.
viride (Boiss.) Hayek, all of which grow wild in Turkey,
and identified more than 80 constituents. Oringanum
vulgare subsp. hirtum was rich in carvacrol (70.47%),
while subsp. gracile contained β-caryophyllene (17.54%)
and germacrene-D (12.75%) as dominant components.
The major components of subsp. viride were terpinen-4-ol
(16.82%) and germacrene-D (15.87%) and of subsp.
vulgare terpinen-4-ol + β-caryophyllene (20.94%) and
germacrene-D (17.80%). In Origanum calcaratum and
Origanum scabrum essential oils, 22 and 28 components,
respectively, were identified by Demetzos et al.18 The
major components of Origanum calcaratum were thymol
(42.8%), p-cymene (18.1%), carvacrol (12.9%), γ-terpine-
ne (9.6%) and isocaryophyllene (4.7%), while carvacrol
(66.7%) was predominant in Origanum scabrum oil,
which also contained p-cymene (7.8%), γ-terpinene
(3.6%) and caryophyllene oxide (2.1%). Kokkini et al.19
reported that the four major components of the essential
oil of Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum from autumn-
collected plants were
γ
-terpinene, 0.6–3.6%; p-cymene,
17.3–51.3%; thymol, 0.2–42.8%; and carvacrol 1.7–
69.6%. The essential oils of oregano spp., Origanum
vulgare L. subsp. viridulum (Martin-Donos) Nyman from
Greece, and Origanum libanoticum Boiss. and O.
Essentials oils
Compounds KIaSage Thyme Rosemary Cumin Clove Oregano
(% area) (% area) (% area) (% area) (% area) (% area)
α-thujene 928 Tr. 2.10 0.15 0.30 – 0.07
α-pinene 936 6.75 5.16 36.42 0.76 – 2.34
camphene 951 7.63 1.30 11.08 Tr. – 0.30
sabinene 974 0.09 1.66 – 0.26 – –
β-pinene 977 5.19 0.65 3.67 12.75 – 0.44
β-myrcene 992 1.58 2.69 2.19 0.67 – 1.45
α-terpinene 1019 – 4.05 Tr. 0.16 – 0.56
p-cymene 1026 1.60 5.79 2.14 20.49 – 15.12
limonene 1031 – 5.09 – 0.56 – 1.41
1,8-cineole 1034 24.74 2.93 12.02 0.23 – 1.11
γ-terpinene 1060 1.04 9.21 0.18 27.44 – 4.80
cis-sabinene hydrate 1070 – 7.65 Tr. Tr. – –
terpinolene 1089 0.67 1.56 0.27 0.08 – 3.63
linalool 1104 1.84 7.12 0.66 0.09 – –
1-terpineol 1125 0.14 0.95 – – – 0.08
dihydrocarveol 1144 – 0.89 – – – Tr.
verbenol 1148 – 1.15 – – – –
camphor 1151 24.95 – 15.05 – – –
isoborneol 1162 1.11 – 0.44 – – 0.08
borneol 1172 2.29 4.07 4.00 – – 0.58
terpinen-4-ol 1181 0.19 13.15 0.38 0.43 – –
α-terpineol 1195 3.60 5.84 1.14 0.44 – 0.15
verbenone 1211 Tr. 5.69 0.12 – – –
cuminal 1226 – – – 20.39 – –
bornyl acetate 1288 3.38 0.38 2.13 – – 0.31
2-caren-10-al 1289 – – – 7.85 – –
carbicol 1293 – – – 4.35 – –
thymol 1296 – 2.27 – – – 0.48
carvacrol 1304 – 0.13 – Tr. – 61.21
α-terpinyl acetate 1353 5.95 0.84 0.07 – – Tr.
eugenol 1370 – – – – 85.85 –
β-caryophyllene 1426 1.80 0.71 1.64 – 10.54 2.62
α-humulene 1460 Tr. Tr. 0.16 – 3.12 0.24
cyclogermacrene 1501 – 0.13 – – – –
δ-cadinene 1528 – 0.35 0.09 – 0.29 Tr.
SEM 0.76 0.65 0.35 0.24 0.12 0.46
–: Not detected. Tr: Trace (Area ≤ 0.06%). a: Kovats Index in DB-5 column in reference to n-alkanes (C8–C32)
SEM: Standard Error of the means
Table 1. Constituents of sage, thyme, rosemary, cumin, clove and oregano and their relative percentages of total chromatogram area,
Kovats Index and retention time.
924 Acta Chim. Slov. 2007, 54, 921–926
Viuda-Martos et al.: Chemical Composition of the Essential Oils Obtained From Some Spices Widely ...
syriacum L. from Lebanon were investigated by Arnold et
al.20 the first contained thymol (61.0–69.1%), the second
contained methyl thymol (32.8%) and the last oil contai-
ned carvacrol (88.3%) as the major flavour compounds.
Veres et al.21 investigated the composition of Origanum
vulgare subsp. hirtum oil and found it to contain carvacrol
(76.4%), γ-terpinene (6.6%), thymol (0.23%), and p-cyme-
ne (4.7%) as the main constituents while the major
compounds in Origanum vulgare subsp. vulgare oil were
p-cymene (22.3%), caryophyllene oxide (10.2%), sabine-
ne (7.9%), γ-terpinene (5.1%), thymol (0.34%) and
spathulenol (4.8%).
GC-MS analyses of sage essential oils identified 37
constituents, representing 90.0% of the total oil. The main
components were camphor (24.95%), 1,8-cineole
(24.75%) and camphene (7.63%). There are many reports
on the chemical composition of the oils isolated from the
plants belonging to the genus Salvia,22,23 most of which
indicate that 1,8-cineole and borneol are the main consti-
tuents. These variations in the essential oil composition
might have arisen from several differences (climatic,
seasonal, geographical, geological).22
Asllani24 investigated the composition of essential
oils obtained from wild Albanian sage, from detected
about 30 were identified. The major components
identified were α-thujene (12.2–49.3%), β-thujene (3.1–
10.5%), camphor (13.7–37.8%) and 1,8-cineole (3.9–
23.4%). These results agree with the results presented
here, except that α-thujene and β-thujene were not
detected. Pino et al.25 analysed the essential oil of sage
(Salvia officinalis subsp. altissima) grown in Cuba.
Among the 43 compounds identified, germacrene-D
(32.9%), β-caryophyllene (31.8%) and caryophyllene
oxide (23.2%) were the major constituents. Lorenzo et
al.26 investigated essential oils obtained by steam
distillation from the leaves and inflorescences of Salvia
sclarea plants cultivated in Uruguay identifying 27 com-
ponents. The essential oil was found to contain high levels
of linalool (8–22%), linalyl acetate (39–48%) germacre-
ne-D (8–20%) and β-caryophyllene (3–5%). Lima et al.27
investigated the essential oil of sage isolated from the air-
dried aerial parts of the plants, and identified more than 50
compounds. The major compounds were cis-thujene
(17.4%), α-humulene (13.3%), 1,8-cineole (12.7%), car-
yophyllene (8.5%) and borneol (8.3%). When Vera et al.28
analysed the steam-distilled essential oil from the flowe-
ring parts of sage grown on Reunion Island, it was found
to contain 51 compounds, the major ones being α-thujene
(43.3–45.5%) and β-thujene (8.4–8.8%), camphor
(15.9–16.2%) and 1,8-cineole (5.8–8.3%). Carruba et al.29
reported that they were qualitative and quantitative di-ffe-
rences between the essential oils from the inflorescences
and leaves, the former being characterized by a high
content of linalool (26–29%) and linalyl acetate (35–53%)
with germacrene-D as the main compound (68–69%). The
inflorescences at full flowering stage were richer in
linalool, α-terpineol and germacrene-D, but showed a lo-
wer content in linalyl acetate compared with those collec-
ted at early stags. Latifeh and Mehdi30 reported, the deve-
lopment stage did not influence the oil composition of
leaves. The quality and quantity of the compounds in di-
fferent parts of the plant were not the same (e.g. α-thujene
and β-thujene contents were lowest in the leaves collected
at the flowering stage, 1.2% and 3%, respectively). The
quantities of camphor (2.9%), 1,8-cineole (2%), α-thuje-
ne (6.4%) and β-thujene (1.6%) in the essential oil of aeri-
al parts of the plant were lower than the international stan-
dards (33%, 10%, 16% and 2%, respectively).
In clove essential oil, five compounds were identi-
fied as representing 98.5% of the total. The predominant
compounds were eugenol (85.5%), β-caryophyllene
(10.54%), α-humulene (3.12%), δ-cadinene (0.29%) and
caryophyllene oxide (0.20%). Raina et al.31 found 16
compounds, the main components being eugenol (94%)
and β-caryophyllene (2.9%), while Zapata and Meireles32
reported that eugenol (58.62%) eugenyl acetate (19.58%),
β-caryophyllene (19.87%) and α-humulene (1.60%) were
the major constituents. Kwang and Shibamoto33 reported
that eugenol and eugenyl acetate were the major consti-
tuents of clove essential oils made from buds which agree
with the results obtained in this study, except in the case
of eugenyl acetate, which was not found. The yield and
quality of the essential oil depends on the part of the plant
used, the predominant compounds in essential oil from
clove stems being eugenol (83–92%), β-caryophyllene
(4–12%), eugenyl acetate (0.5–4%), while the predomi-
nant compounds in the essential oil obtained from leaves
are eugenol (80–92%), β-caryophyllene (4–17%) and
eugenyl acetate (0.2–4%). The predominant compounds
in the essential oil of clove buds are eugenol (75–87%),
β-caryophyllene (2–7%) and eugenyl acetate (8–15%).34
Turning on attention to rosemary, 39 components
were identified in the essential oil, representing 89.5% of the
total, the major constituents being, α-pinene (36.42%),
camphor (15.65%), 1,8-cineole (12.02%) and camphene
(11.08%). Dellacassa et al.35 investigated the composition of
the essential oils obtained from the leaves of Rosmarinus
officinalis cultivars growing in different areas of Uruguay
and southern Brazil. Finding that the former were rich in α-
pinene (37.8–46.2%) and 1,8-cineole (13.4–13.8%), while
the essential oil from cultivated Brazilian plants contained
α-pinene (32.2%) and 1,8-cineole (14.7%), and that from
wild Brazilian plants contained α-pinene (12.4%), myrcene
(22.7%) and 1,8-cineole (15.3%). The essential oil from the
fresh leaves of Rosmarinus officinalis L. grown in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, was isolated and analysed by Porte et al.36 45
constituents were identified, the major constituents of the oil
being camphor (26.0%), 1,8-cineole (22.1%), myrcene
(12.4%) and α-pinene (11.5%). That the geographical
location of where the plant grows can also contribute to the
content and quality of essential oil was confirmed by
Guillem et al.37 who reported that rosemary essential oil
925
Acta Chim. Slov. 2007, 54, 921–926
Viuda-Martos et al.: Chemical Composition of the Essential Oils Obtained From Some Spices Widely ...
appeared to be more complex and richer in flavour notes
than other previously studied Spanish rosemary oils, and
had intermediate proportions of α-pinene and 1,8-cineole
compared with rosemary essential oils from different geo-
graphical origins, but higher proportions of camphor, verbe-
none and linalool. Tomei et al.38 investigated the essential
oils from flowers and leaves of Rosmarinus officinalis
(collected from the wild in southern Spain), and found the
main components to be camphor (32.33%), 1,8-cineole
(14.41%) and α-pinene (11.56%). The essential oils of
Rosmarinus officinalis from Spain, were analysed by
Chalchat el al.39 who found them to be rich in α-pinene
(24.7%), 1,8-cineole (21.8%), and camphor (18.9%),
although they also contained some borneol (4.5%), findings
that are in agreement with the results presented here.
Soliman et al.40 carried out a comparative study of the
essential oils prepared from the fresh leaves of plants
collected from Siani and Giza. Analysis of the oils by GC-
MS led to the identification of 43 components in the sample
from Siani, with verbenone (12.3%), camphor (11.3%),
bornyl acetate (7.6%) and limonene (7.1%) being the major
constituents. 37 components were identified in the sample
from Giza but in this case camphor (14.9%), α-pinene
(9.3%) and 1,8-cineole (9.0%) were the main constituents.
Boutekedjiret et al.41 investigated the essential oil from
flowering aerial parts of Rosmarinus officinalis collected in
Algeria. More than 90% of the components were identified,
with 1,8-cineole (52.4%) and camphor (12.6%) being the
major components. Benhabiles et al.42 also investigated the
essential oil, from flowering aerial parts of Rosmarinus
officinalis collected in Algeria observing the major
components to be camphor, borneol, α-terpineol, bornyl
acetate, β-caryophyllene, δ-cadinene, muurolene and α-
humulene.
The effect of harvest time on oil production and
chemical composition is very important. The highest oil
yields were recorded during the fruiting period (summer),
while the lowest concentrations of camphor and max-
imum concentrations of α-pinene were observed in win-
ter. Concentration of 1,8-cineole was proximally constant
throughout the year, though other oil constituent levels
varied randomly with the plant life cycle. It is suggested
that seasonal and geographical variations in the content of
the most representative components help in the quality
control of rosemary oils and, consequently, for deducing
the best period for processing.43
GC-MS analyses of cumin essential oils identified 26
constituents, representing the 80.0% of the total oil. The
main components of cumin essential oil were γ-pinene
(27.4%), p-cymene (20.49%), cuminal (20.39%) and β-pi-
nene (12.75%). In a study carried out by Ia-cobellis et al.44
p-mentha-1,4-dien-7-al, cuminal, γ-pinene and β-pinene
were seen to be the major constituents of cumin oil. These
findings agree with those results presented here, except for
p-mentha-1,4-dien-7-al, which was not found, and p-
cymene, which represented 20.49% of the total. The com-
position of cumin essential oil of Turkish origin was inves-
tigated by Baser45 who found it to be characterized by high
amounts of cuminal, p-mentha-1,4-dien-7-al, γ-pinene, β-
pinene, perilla aldehyde and p-mentha-1,3-dien-7-al.
Anon46 reported that the main constituents of Egyptian
cumin essential oil were cuminal, β-pinene, γ-pinene, p-
mentha-1,3-dien-7-al, p-mentha-1,4-dien-7-al and p-cy-
mene. Atta et al.47 investigated the composition of cumin
seeds obtained from di-fferent localities in Turkey with
Cuminal (19.6–27.0%), p-mentha-1,3-dien-7-al (4.3–
12.3%), p-mentha-1,4-dien-7-al (24.5–44.9%), γ-terpinene
(7.1–14.1%), p-cymene (4.6–12.0%) and β-pinene (2.9–
8.9%) identified as the major components.
4. Conclusions
The major components of oregano essential oil,
included carvacrol (61.21%) and p-cymene (15.12%).
Sage essential oil mainly contained camphor (24.95%)
and 1,8-cineole (24.75%). The essential oil from thyme is
characterized by a high content of terpinen-4-ol (13.15%)
and γ-terpinene (9.21%). The predominant compounds in
clove essential oil are eugenol (85.5%) and β-caryop-
hyllene (10.54%). The main constituents of rosemary es-
sential oil are β-pinene (12.75%) and α-pinene (36.42%),
and the major constituents of cumin essential oil are
γ-pinene (27.4%) and p-cymene (20.49%).
There is then, great variability in the chemical
composition of essential oils obtained from spices. Such
variability depends on several factors including climatic,
season, geographical location, geology, part of the plant
and the method used to obtain the essential oil.
5. Acknowledgments
The financial support provided by the Consellerias
de Cultura, Educación y Deporte, Agricultura Pesca y
Alimentación (Generalitat Valenciana) through Project
GV04B-679 and from Tecnología y Nutrición de la Dieta
Mediterráena Master’s Course is gratefully acknowledged.
6. References
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Povzetek
Za~imbe so v dr`avah ju`ne Evrope in severne Afrike {iroko v uporabi zaradi okusa, arome in barve. Cilj tega dela je bi-
la dolo~itev kemijske sestave eteri~nih olj {estih di{avnic in za~imbnic iz {panske regije Murcia: origano (Origanum
vulgare), timijan (Thymus vulgaris), ro`marin (Rosmarinus officinalis), `ajbelj (Salvia officinalis), kumina (Cuminum
cyminum) in nageljnove `bice (Syzygium aromaticum). Analize smo opravili z uporabo GC-MS.
Glavne sestavine eteri~nega olja `ajblja so bile kafra (24,95 %), 1,8-cineol (24,75 %) in kamfen (7,63 %); origana: kar-
vakrol (61,21 %) in p-kimen (15,12 %); timijana: terpinen-4-ol (13,15 %),
γ
-terpinen (9,21 %) in cis-sabinen hidrat
(7,65 %); nageljnovih `bic: eugenol (85,5 %),
β
-kariofilen (10,54 %) in
α
-humulen (3,12 %); ro`marina:
β
-pinen
(12,75 %),
α
-pinen (36,42 %) in kafra (15,65 %), ter kumine: γ-pinen (27,4 %), p-kimen (20,49 %) in kuminal
(20,39 %).