Influence of flowering stage of Lonicera japonica Thunb. on variation in volatiles and chlorogenic acid

BACKGROUND:The volatile oil of Lonicera japonica Thunb. is an edible natural perfume that is often used in foods, cigarettes and cosmetics. Chlorogenic acid, a major bioactive component of L.japonica, has received much attention recently owing to its antiviral, anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities. However, to date, few reports have focused on the variation in volatile oil and chlorogenic acid at different flowering stages of L.japonica. RESULTS: Obvious variations in components of the volatile oil were observed at six different developmental stages. The primary components of the volatile oil were linalool, linalool oxide, geraniol and a-terpineol, which reached their highest levels at the silver flowering stage. The highest levels of chlorogenic acid were found at the second white and complete white flowering stages. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that the best times to harvest L.japonica flowers for volatile oil and chlorogenic acid extraction are the silver flowering stage and the second white or complete white flowering stage respectively. (c) 2009 Society Of Chemical Industry