Investigation of essential oil and water-soluble extract obtained by steam distillation from Acacia mearnsii flowers

ABSTRACT

This work aimed to obtain and investigate the properties and composition of extracts from flowers of Acacia mearnsii; this tree is widely cultivated because the bark is used as a raw material for various industry segments, but the flowers are not yet explored. The essential oil was evaluated by GC/FID, GC/MS, and GC/O. The antioxidant activity (DPPH and phosphomolybdenum methods) and chemical composition were investigated for a water-soluble extract, a by-product of the extraction process. 85.8% of the compounds present in the essential oil were identified, 8-heptadecene being the major compound. The main scents detected by the olfactory analysis were roast nutty, coffee, sweet, and floral. The water-soluble extract showed antioxidant activity that may be related to phenolic compounds. Results obtained from the LC-qTOF/MS analysis have shown that 25 likely flavonoids, such as naringenin, myricetin, quercetin, and rutin are present in the extract.

KEYWORDS:

• Acacia mearnsii
• essential oil
• water-soluble extract
• steam distillation
• antioxidant
• olfactometry

Acknowledgment

The authors thank CNPq, CAPES, TANAC S/A, and the Laboratory of Animal and Plant Health and Inspection (LFDA-RS).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the CNPQ [].