Spectral characteristics of essential oils taken from widespread spicy food plants

Abstract

Nowadays, spices are widely used for nutritional corrections and phytohealthing. The aim of present research was to determine the spectral characteristics of essential oils of aromatic plants, which can be used to standardize preparations based on them. The objects of the study were leaves of noble laurel, harvested during the flowering period in the city of Sochi; carnation buds of industrial production; cinnamon bark of the “Alba” variety, imported from the Republic of Sri Lanka, and fresh ginger rhizomes sold in the retail network. The essential oil was made by hydrodistillation and its UV-vis spectra in the range of 200–400 nm was studied. The obtained spectra were comparing with standard samples spectra of eugenol, cinnamaldehyde and zingiberene. It was found that the major components of the essential oils of clove and laurel are eugenol; in the essential oil of cinnamon there are two components — cinnamaldehyde and eugenol. At same time eugenol was not found in ginger essential oil and the main component is the sesquiterpenoid zingiberene. Concluding that the bactericidal and fungistatic properties of essential oils are formed by different groups of biologically active compounds: eugenol in laurel and cloves, the sum of eugenol and cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon bark and zingeberenes in ginger. It is shown ability use the UV spectra of eugenol, zingiberene and cinnamaldehyde as standards determining the good quality of the oil, ensuring the reproducibility of the pharmacological effect of laurel, clove, ginger and cinnamon preparations.