Chemical characterization of essential oil constituents of four populations of Piper aduncum L. from Distrito Federal, Brazil

Piper aduncum is considered a priority species for conservation of genetic resources in Brazil due the commercial interest in its essential oil. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the variability of the essential oil from the leaves of four populations of P. aduncum from Central Brazil using principal component analysis. Leaf samples of P aduncum were collected from four different places in the Distrito Federal, Brazil. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed using GC-FID and GC-MS. The yield of essential oil ranged from 0.7% to 1.3%. Individual populations collected from Brazlandia and Parque do Guara had similar chemical profiles, despite the geographic distance between the locations. The major constituents in both populations were 4terpineol and piperitone. The composition of the essential oil from the Corrego Bananal population of P. aduncum differed from the other populations and the chemical composition of the individuals formed two groups. The essential oil of one group was dominated by trans-beta-ocimene, bicyclogermacrene, safrol, and sarisan, whereas the other group contained high content of beta-phellandrene, trans-beta-ocimene, piperitone, gamma-terpinene, and 4-terpineol. Population from Agua Limpa farm showed a unique essential oil composition being the only one with a high content of dillapiole. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.