The key-aroma constituents of oregano (Origanum) grown wild in Greece unraveled by headspace GC-MS and Raman spectroscopy

A Nakas; D Mertzanidis; E Kampasakali; D Christofilos; S Kokkini; A Assimopoulou

doi:10.1055/s-0041-1736954

Planta Medica, Table of Contents

Planta Med 2021; 87(15): 1303-1304
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1736954

Abstracts

8. Poster Contributions

8.9 Recent Advances in Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research

The key-aroma constituents of oregano (Origanum) grown wild in Greece unraveled by headspace GC-MS and Raman spectroscopy

A Nakas

¹Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, School of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (ΑUTh), Thessaloniki, Greece

,

D Mertzanidis

²Laboratory of Systematic Botany and Phytogeography, School of Biology, AUTh, Thessaloniki, Greece

⁴Natural Products Research Center, CIRI-AUTh, Thessaloniki, Greece

,

E Kampasakali

³Laboratory of Physics, School of Chemical Engineering, AUTh, Thessaloniki, Greece

,

D Christofilos

³Laboratory of Physics, School of Chemical Engineering, AUTh, Thessaloniki, Greece

,

S Kokkini

²Laboratory of Systematic Botany and Phytogeography, School of Biology, AUTh, Thessaloniki, Greece

⁴Natural Products Research Center, CIRI-AUTh, Thessaloniki, Greece

,

A Assimopoulou

¹Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, School of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (ΑUTh), Thessaloniki, Greece

⁴Natural Products Research Center, CIRI-AUTh, Thessaloniki, Greece

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Full Text

In the present work we utilized two techniques, Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and Raman spectroscopy, to decode the aroma constituents of different Origanum (oregano) plants grown wild in Greece. Aerial parts of flowering Origanum plants were collected from three localities of the Greek mainland (Mt. Belles, Mt. Pelion and Kassandra Peninsula) and one in the SE Greek Archipelago (island of Kos). Their taxonomic identification suggests that plants of the mainland, with a spike-like inflorescence and actinomorphic calyces, belong to two subspecies of Origanum vulgare, viz. subsp. vulgare (Belles) and subsp. hirtum (Pelion and Kassandra). Plants from the island of Kos, having a corymbose inflorescence and 1-lipped calyces, belong to the species Origanum onites. Essential oils were extracted from the plants using a Clevenger apparatus. The static headspace GC-MS method resulted in the identification of many terpenes. Raman spectroscopy was carried out using a laser at 785.0 nm to minimize fluorescence. Results indicated that O. vulgare subsp. vulgare contained the most terpenes among the samples; O. onites consists mainly of carvacrol, whereas O. vulgare subsp. hirtum of either carvacrol or thymol. A comparison of the GC-MS and Raman spectroscopic methods was further performed.