Essential Oil Yield and Composition of Native Tree Species from Atlantic Forest, South of Brazil

Abstract

This work aimed to evaluate the essential oil yield and composition of fresh and dried samples of native tree species in the Atlantic Forest of Parana State, South of Brazil. The essential oil extraction was carried out by hydrodistillation in a graduate Clevenger type apparatus and the chemical composition was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The species show a wide variation in the essential oil yield (0.07 to 1.84%) and in the most species it was not affected by the drying process. The Ocotea odorifera and Ocotea catharinensis species show a higher percentage of monoterpenes, while the species Casearia decandra, Nectandra grandiflora, Lithraea molleoides, Schinus terebenthifolius, Cinnamodendron dinisii, Aloysia gratissima and Drymis angustifolia show higher percentage of sesquiterpenes. Essential oil samples of Casearia sylvestris showed only sesquiterpenes.

Keywords:

• medicinal and aromatic plants
• terpenes
• Atlantic forest
• essential oil
• plant secondary metabolism