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Abstract
The chemical composition of the essential oils of spontaneous aromatic plants is severely affected by edapho-climatic factors as well as the development stage of the plant. Therefore, the objective of the present work is to better understand the essential oil quality of Ruta chalepensis L. (Rutaceae), a medicinal plant widely used in folk medicine, collected at the fruiting stage from two populations of south-east of Tunisia. Each organ of Ruta chalepensis (leaves, stems, and fruits) was hydrodistillated by a Clevenger-type apparatus. Gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses of the essential oils resulted in the identification of nineteen compounds, where esters and ketones represented the main chemical classes. The major compounds in the essential oils of leaves and stems were 2-undecanone (23.0-37.7%), 2-nonanone (16.7-23.0%) and octyl acetate (11.0-26.8%), whereas 2-undecanone (57.5-58.4%) and 2-nonanone (19.0-23.3%) were found to be the most abundant compounds in the fruits essential oil.