Planta Med 2012; 78 - P_130
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1307638

Analytical Investigation of Commercial Geranium Oils from Pelargonium graveolens L'Hér

M Wang 1, A Chittiboyina 1, B Avula 1, J Zhao 1, N Tabanca 1, YH Wang 1, A Weerasooriya 1, JF Parcher 1, IA Khan 1, 2
  • 1National Center for Natural Products Research, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • 2Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, MS 38677, USA

Pelargonium graveolens L'Hér (Geraniaceae family), also known as rose-scented geranium, is a highly valued aromatic plant native to South Africa. It is the main specie cultivated specifically for its essential oil. Geranium oil is one of the top 20 essential oils in the world and has wide application in the perfumery, cosmetics and flavor industries. It also possesses insect repellant, antifungal and antibacterial properties, making it useful in the medicinal and pharmaceutical fields.

The goals of the proposed research were to differentiate Pelargonium graveolens L'Hér chemotypes based on GC/MS and principal component analysis (PCA); and to determine the chemical profile of geranium (Pelargonium graveolens L'Hér) oils by examination of the enantiomeric ratios using chiral GC/MS.

A series of commercial geranium oils, samples obtained from foreign collaborators, and fresh Pelargonium graveolens plants were analyzed by GC/MS. Typical chromatograms of French and Egyptian geranium oils are shown in Figure 1. Principle component analysis allowed the identification of possible markers for differentiating Pelargonium. graveolens chemotypes. The presence or absence of the relevant sesquiterpene, i.e. 10-epi-γ-eudesmol and 6,9-guaiadiene can be used to distinguish Egyptian and Bourbon/China cultivars. The analysis using chiral GC column was also performed for the full set of geranium oils to determine chemical profile of the essential oils by examination of enantiomeric ratios [1].

Fig.1. Chromatograms of Commercial Oils from France (A) and Egypt (B)

Acknowledgements : This research is supported in part Science Based Authentication of Dietary Supplements funded by the Food and Drug Administration grant No. 1U01FD004246–01; the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Specific Cooperative Agreement No. 58–6408–2-0009, and the Global Research Network for Medicinal Plants (GRNMP), King Saud University. References: [1] “A Guide to the Analysis of Chiral Compounds by GC.” Tabacchi R, et al., Restek Corporation, cat # 59889.