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Nat. Volatiles & Essent. Oils, 2016; 3(2): 9-14 Karami and Jandoust
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Essential oils of Persian Musk rose (Rosa moschata Herrm.) as
influenced by drying and harvest times
Akbar Karami* and Samira Jandoust
Department of Horticultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, IRAN
*Corresponding author. Email: akbarkarami@shirazu.ac.ir, akarami2004@gmail.com
Abstract
Persian musk rose (Rosa moschata Hermm.) is widely used in perfumes and cosmetics industries because of its medicinal
properties and pleasant odour. Since synthesis and accumulation of volatile compounds affected by flower harvest time, the
current study was conducted to evaluate and monitor the changes of volatiles in the essential oil (EO) of Persian Musk Rose petals
harvested at different dates (May 11, May 21 and June 01). GC and GC-MS determined the compositions of EO. In addition, the EOs
obtained from fresh and dried flowers harvested at different dates were compared to maximize yield and quality of EO. The highest
EO yield was observed in the fresh and dried petals harvested at May11, which was significantly higher than the June samples;
however, there was no significant difference between May 11 and May 21 samples. The EO composition at different harvest dates
was significantly different in the fresh petals, and the highest phenyl ethyl alcohol (14.3%) was observed at the second harvest
date. Monoterpenes increased from 2.4% in the first harvest to 8.5% in the third harvest. Aliphatic hydrocarbons showed an
increasing pattern in the petals harvested at May 11 (78.6%) to June (86.4%). Concentration of oxygenated monoterpenes
significantly reduced in the EO of the dried petals. After drying, phenylpropanoids reduced at the first and the second harvest dates
and increased at the third harvest. However, the concentration of aliphatic hydrocarbons increased at the first and the second
harvests and decreased at the third harvest date.
Keywords: Rosa moschata, drying, essential oils, harvest date
Introduction
Rosa has sixteen wild species in Iran of which R. moschata Herrm. with the common names of Persian Musk
rose, Nastrane Shiraz and Rose Anbar is one of the most strongly scented rose species with characteristic
floral scent molecules such as terpenoids, phenylpropanoids/benzenoids and fatty acid derivatives
(Mozaffarian 2013; Jandoust & Karami, 2015). Persian Musk rose is distributed in many local regions of Iran;
its wild origins are uncertain but are suspected to lie in the western Himalayas (Khosh-Khui 2014, Honarvar
et al., 2011). As, Persian Musk rose has not been confirmed clearly in history, but the supposition is that it
is a parent of Damask rose (Jandoust & Karami, 2015). In traditional medicine, hydrosol of Persian Musk
rose has been used to strengthen heart muscles, stomach, liver, spleen, nerves, and gums and to
strengthen intelligence (Honarvar et al., 2011; Jandoust & Karami, 2015). The quantity and composition of
the rose oil distilled from the rose petals are strongly affected by the genotypes, the climatic conditions,
diurnal variability, storage conditions, the time of rose petals harvesting, and the technology used for
processing and distillation (Baydar & Baydar 2005; Carvalho-Filho et al., 2006; Baydaret al., 2008; Barbosa
et al., 2011; Sharmaet al., 2012; Karami et al., 2013; Kumar et al., 2013; Jandoust & Karami, 2015).
Therefore, in this research, the seasonal variations of EOs of fresh and dried flowers were studied by GC
and GC/MS techniques.
Nat. Volatiles & Essent. Oils, 2016; 3(2): 9-14 Karami and Jandoust
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Materials and Methods
Plant material
The fresh flowers of Persian Musk rose were collected from College of Agriculture gardens (Shiraz – 59°
35´E, 29°43´ N, Altitude 1810 m) during their flowering period (May 11, May 21 and June 01, 2014). A
specimen (Collector Number: PC 87-23) has been deposited in the Herbarium of the Faculty of Sciences,
Shiraz University.
Analysis of the oil
The aerial parts were air-dried at ambient temperature in the shade and air-dried and fresh flower
hydrodistilled by using a Clevenger-type apparatus for 3 h. It was dissolved inn-hexane (Merck), dried over
anhydrous sodium sulphate and stored at 4°C ± 2°C.GC analysis was performed using an Agilent gas
chromatograph series 7890-A with a flame ionization detector (FID). The analysis was carried out on fused
silica capillary HP-5 column (30 m × 0.32 mm i.d.; film thickness 0.25 mm). The injector and detector
temperatures were kept at 250 ◦C and 280 ◦C, respectively. Nitrogen was used as carrier gas at a flow rate
of 1 ml/min; oven temperature program was 60-210 ◦C at the rate of 4◦C/min and then programmed to 240
◦C at the rate of 20 ◦C/min and finally held isothermally for 8.5 min; split ratio was 1:50. GC-MS analysis was
carried out by use of Agilent gas chromatograph equipped with fused silica capillary HP-5MS column (30 m
× 0.25 mm i.d.; film thickness 0.25 m) coupled with 5975-C mass spectrometer. Helium was used as carrier
gas with ionization voltage of 70 eV. Ion source and interface temperatures were 230 ◦C and 280 ◦C,
respectively. Mass range was from 45 to 550 amu. Oven temperature program was the same given above
for the GC.
Identification of Compounds
The constituents of the essential oil were identified by calculation of their retention indices under
temperature-programmed conditions for n-alkanes (C8-C25) and the essential oil on a HP-5 column under
the same chromatographic conditions. Identification of individual compounds made by comparison of their
mass spectra with those of the internal reference mass spectra library or with authentic compounds and
confirmed by comparison of their retention indices with authentic compounds or with those of reported in
the literature. For quantification purpose, relative area percentages obtained by FID were used without the
use of correction factors.
Results and Discussion
In general, seasonal variation and drying had a significantly effect on the EOs contents and composition of
Persian musk rose as discussed more below.
Essential oil content
The EO content of both fresh and dried Persian musk rose flowers extracted during their flowering period
(May 11, May 21 and June 01). The highest EO content was observed in the fresh and dried petals
harvested at May 11, which was significantly higher than the June samples; however, there was no
significant difference between May 11 and May 21 samples.
Nat. Volatiles & Essent. Oils, 2016; 3(2): 9-14 Karami and Jandoust
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GC-MS analysis
Seasonal variation
In the current study, at the selected time, EOs were collected for periods of 3hrs and analyzed by GC/MS.
In this study, a total number of 79 EOs compounds were detected by GC/MS from FW and DW of R.
moschata at different season (Table 1). In overall, identified components in the subsequent season was
representing 97.4–99.9 % of total EOs. The major compounds at different season were identified as 1-
nonadecene (5.90-34.80%), n-heneicosane (18.8-53.8 %), n-nonadecane (9.5-34.4) and phenyl ethyl alcohol
(0.1-14.27 %). The EO composition at different harvest dates was significantly different in the fresh petals,
and the highest phenyl ethyl alcohol (14.27 %) was observed at the second harvest date. Monoterpenes
increased from 2.39% in the first harvest to 8.54% in the third harvest. Aliphatic hydrocarbons showed an
increasing trend in the petals harvested at May 11 (78.6%) to June (86.4%). The yield and chemical
composition of essential oils (EO) from medicinal plants are related to a variety of internal and external
factors such as harvest time and postharvest processing, due to spontaneous conversions and their
unstable nature. The effect of harvest time on yield and quality of EO has been widely investigated. Baydar
& Baydar, 2005 reported that yield and EO composition of R. damascena flowers was significantly different
on May 8 and 24. They obtained more EO on May 24, which was about 0.04%. Kumar et al., 2013 showed
that harvesting R. damascena at different times might affect its EO composition and yield. The highest EO
yield in Thymus vulgaris have been reported on December. However, the monoterpenic phenols, thymol
and carvacrol were higher after blooming on summer (McGimpsey et al., 2006).
Effects of drying
The EO composition of dried petals was significantly dissimilar than the fresh ones at different harvest
dates. Concentration of oxygenated monoterpenes significantly reduced in the EO of the dried petals (Table
1). After drying, phenylpropanoids reduced at the first and the second harvest dates and increased at the
third harvest. However, the concentration of aliphatic hydrocarbons increased at the first and the second
harvests and decreased at the third harvest date. Number of components and composition of the EO
obtained from fresh and dried flowers harvested at different times were different. The GC-MS analyses
revealed that Persian Musk rose EO is mainly rich of aliphatic hydrocarbons such as n-nonadecane, n-
heneicosane, 1-nonadecane, n-tricosene; however, components such as geraniol, citronellol, nerol,
comprise lower proportion of the EO. Aliphatic hydrocarbons in fresh petals of EO were about 78.6%,
75.3%, and 86.4% in May 11, May 21 and June. Therefore, aliphatic hydrocarbon increased from first
harvest to third harvest. On the other hand, the highest phenyl ethyl alcohol (14.2%), which causes the
odor of the rose flowers, was obtained from the fresh tissues harvested in May 21. Hence, it can be
concluded that efficiency of EO extraction and quality of EO obtained from flowers harvested on May 21 is
significantly higher. Although phenyl ethyl alcohol, or 2-phenylethanol, is the major scent compound of the
fresh flower, its content is around 1% in the hydrodistilled rose oil due to the high solubility in residue
water or rose water, by-products of hydrodistillation (Baydar et al., 2008). It appears that such
investigations are useful for optimizing EO extraction and obtain products with established composition as
a market demand. On the other hand, postharvest processing and preserving methods may also influence
amount and composition of EO of the harvested material. Drying is widely used for controlling microbial
infections, insect pest management and preserving the medicinal plant tissues for long time (Schweiggert
et al., 2007). However, drying may influence the amount and composition of essential oil. Barbosa et al.,
2006 reported that the citral level in Lippia alba dried leaves was significantly increased, however nerol
Nat. Volatiles & Essent. Oils, 2016; 3(2): 9-14 Karami and Jandoust
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content showed a significant decrease and geraniol oxidized into geranial after drying. Carvalho-Filho et al.,
2006 showed significant changes in the Ocimum basilicum L. EO composition during drying.
Table 1. Seasonal changes in essential oil compounds (%) of Rosa moschata Herrm.
Components RI
May 11 May 21 June
FW DW FW DW FW DW
α-Pinene 930 t t - - t -
Myrcene 988 t - - - - -
n-Octanal 1001 - - - - t -
p-Cymene 1021 - t - - t 0.2
trans-Rose oxide 1124 - - - - t -
Limonene 1025 t t - - t 0.2
1,8-Cineole 1028 - t - - - -
(Z)-β-Ocimene 1033 t - - - - 0.3
Benzene acetaldehyde 1040 t 0.2 - - t -
(E)β-Ocimene 1044 t - - - - -
dihydro-Tagetone 1048 - - - - - 3.1
γ-Terpinene 1055 - t - - - -
n-Octanol 1066 t t - - t -
Linalool 1066 0.1 0.2 - - 0.1 -
n-Nonanal 1097 0.2 0.7 - - 0.5 -
Terpinene-4-ol 1174 - - - - t -
Phenylethyl alcohol 1110 1.9 1.3 14.3 1.7 0.1 0.8
Camphor 1141 - t - - - -
(2E)-Nonen-1-al 1155 - 0.3 - - t -
n-Nonanol 1167 t 0.1 - - t 0.7
α-Terpineol 1187 t t - - t -
n-Dodecane 1196 - - - - t -
n-Decanal 1202 0.1 0.5 - - 0.1 0.5
Citronellol 1225 0.9 0.2 4.1 - 7.6 5.4
Pulegone 1235 - 0.1 - - - -
Neral 1237 0.1 - - - t -
Geraniol 1251 1.1 0.2 0.4 - 0.7 -
2-Phenylethyl acetate 1253 0.3 0.1 0.3 - 0.2 -
Geranial 1267 0.1 - - - t -
Nonanoic acid 1267 - - - - - 6.4
Undecanal 1303 0.1 0.4 - - 0.1 1.4
Methyl geranate 1320 - - - - t -
Citronellyl acetate 1350 - - - - 0.1 -
Eugenol 1353 2.2 1.5 1.2 - 0.4 3.0
Geranyl acetate 1381 - - - - 0.1 -
β-Elemene 1388 - - - - t -
n-Decanoic acid 1364 - 0.9 - - - 3.0
n-Tetradecane 1396 - - - - t -
Nat. Volatiles & Essent. Oils, 2016; 3(2): 9-14 Karami and Jandoust
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Methyl eugenol 1401 - - - - 0.4 -
Dodecanal 1405 0.1 0.4 - - t 0.5
(E)-Caryophyllene 1415 0.8 0.3 - - 0.2 -
dihydro-β-Ionone 1434 0.5 - 1.1 - - -
α-Guaiene 1434 - - - - 0.1 -
α-Humulene 1449 - - - - 0.2 -
Geranyl acetone 1449 0.4 0.7 - - - 0.8
(E)-β-Farnesene 1453 0.5 - - - - -
Germacrene D 1476 - - - - 0.1 -
(E)-β-Ionone 1482 - 2.0 - - 0.1 -
n-Pentadecane 1495 - 0.5 - - 0.4 -
(E,E)-α-Farnesene 1505 - - - - 0.1 -
Tridecanal 1506 - 0.2 - - - 1.2
(E)-Nerolidol 1560 - - - - 0.1 -
Caryophyllene oxide 1577 - 0.2 - - t 2.8
2-Phenylethyl tiglate 1581 - - - - t -
n-Hexadecane 1595 0.1 0.2 - - 0.1 -
Tetradecanal 1608 - - - - t -
β-Eudesmol 1645 - - - - 0.1 -
α-Eudesmol 1648 - - - - 0.1 -
1-Heptadecene 1695 2.4 1.1 1.2 - 0.4 2.7
(6Z,9E)-Heptadecadiene 1719 1.2 - - - - -
n-Heptadecane 1695 2.7 4.1 1.6 1.0 3.2 -
(Z,Z)-Farnesol 1717 - - - - 0.4 -
Benzyl benzoate 1758 - 0.9 - 0.3 0.3 -
n-Octadecane 1795 - 0.4 - 0.1 0.6 -
Phenylethyl octanoate 1846 - 2.7 - 2.5 0.4 -
1-Nonadecene 1868 34.8 19.6 21.3 7.6 8.6 5.9
n-Nonadecane 1892 12.7 16.6 13.0 9.5 27.4 30.4
2-Phenylethyl phenyl acetate 1902 - 0.8 - 0.5 - -
1-Eicosene 1970 0.7 0.3 0.7 - 0.5 -
Ethyl palmitate 1995 - - - - 0.3 -
n-Eicosane 1999 0.8 1.4 - 0.9 4.5 2.1
n-Octadecanol 2073 6.1 2.8 3.0 1.7 1.4 -
n-Heneicosane 2103 21.1 32.7 30.9 53.9 26.1 18.8
n-Docosane 2197 0.3 0.6 0.4 1.8 1.5 -
1-Tricosene 2287 0.2 0.2 - 0.5 0.8 -
n-Tricosane 2296 1.6 2.7 5.1 10.5 7.8 -
n-Tetracosane 2400 - - - 0.5 0.5 -
n-Pentacosane 2500 0.2 0.4 0.7 1.9 2.9 -
Total 97.4 98.5 99.3 98.9 99.9 99.8
*RI: Retention indices analysed on HP-5; “ – “: not detected; t: trace amount; DW: Dry weight; FW: Fresh
weight
Nat. Volatiles & Essent. Oils, 2016; 3(2): 9-14 Karami and Jandoust
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Conclusion
In general, it is clear that during seasonal variation and emission timing, Persian musk rose EOs varied
significantly over time. GC/MS analysis was performed to define both similarities and differences across
different seasons and fresh and dried flower in Persian Musk rose. Therefore, drying of plant material and
seasonal variations of EOs has essential function and application in agriculture. Consequently, it can be
concluded that efficiency of EO extraction and quality of EO obtained from flowers of this plants harvested
on May 21 is significantly higher than other harvest times.
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