Comparison of the Chemical Composition of East Indian, Jamaican and Other West Indian Essential Oils of Myristica fragrans Houtt.

Abstract

Analyses of the essential oil of Myristica fragrans Houttuyn (nutmeg oil), from St. Catherine, Jamaica were compared with the literature data (1976–1997) for West Indian (primarily Grenadian) and East Indian nutmeg oils. GC, GC/MS and RP-HPLC strategies were used to qualitatively and quantitatively assess the Jamaican oil which was found to contain lower quantities (weight percent) of the phenylpropanoids myristicin (0.16%) and safrole (<0.2%), than the East Indian oils. Three isomers of ocimene, namely (E)-β-ocimene, (Z)-β-ocimene and (Z)-α-ocimene where identified in the Jamaican oil. These have not been reported as being present in the other oils under review. The monoterpenoids α-pinene (19.9%), β-pinene (18.8%), and terpinen-4-ol (17.8%) also showed differences in amounts, which could lead to use of these compounds as markers to distinguish between the West Indian oils.

Key Word Index:

• Myristica fragrans
• Myristicaceae
• nutmeg oil
• essential oil composition
• α-pinene
• β-pinene
• erpinen-4-ol
• phenylpropanoids