ABSTRACT
The present study reports for the first time a comprehensive gas chromatography coupled to flame ionisation detector and mass spectrometry detection of the essential oils from leaf, stem-bark and root bark of three wild Cinnamomum species collected from Sinharaja and Kanneliya Forests in Sri Lanka together with cultivated cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum). DNA barcoding has been carried out to identify and distinguish wild cinnamon species from commercial cinnamon species. Predominant compounds in stem bark oil were trans-Cinnamaldehyde [C. zeylanicum (68.3%)], β-linalool [Cinnamomum capparu-coronde (44.5%], β-phellandrene [Cinnamomum dubium (24.7%)] or menthol, 1’-(butyn-3-one-1-yl) [Cinnamomum sinharajaense (17.7%)]. The predominant constituents in leaf oil were eugenol [C. zeylanicum (83.0%) and C.capparu-coronde (71.6%)], β-phellandrene [C. dubium (39.9%)] or palmitic acid [C. sinharajaense. (79.8%)]. In oil extracted from root bark, the principal constituents were either camphor [C. zeylanicum (51.1%)], methyl eugenol [C. sinharajaense (82.2%) and C. dubium (84.2%)] or safrole [C. capparu-coronde (58.6%)].
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to the Government of Sri Lanka Treasury for financial assistance. Authors wish to thank Mr. Asitha De Silva, Rain Forest Officer and Mr. N.H. Chiththasekara, Assistant Forest officer, Kanneliya Conservation Centre, Forest Department, Sri Lanka, for their assistance and also grateful to Dr. Subhani Ranasinghe, The Deputy Director, National Herbarium, for the authentication of plant specimens.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).