Abstract
Essential oils from 15
Pimpinella species were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography
–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) techniques. One species,
Pimpinella anisum, in which only fruits were evaluated, was also included in the study. A total of 140 different compounds were identified and significant qualitative and quantitative differences were observed among the samples.
Pimpinella essential oils were characterized as having mono-, sesqui- and trinorsesquiterpenoids, propenylphenols, and pseudoisoeugenols. Trinorsesquiterpenoids and phenylpropanoids appear to be chemical markers of
Pimpinella species analyzed thus far. Essential oils obtained from
Pimpinella roots share the same principal compound, epoxypseudoisoeugenyl-2-methylbutyrate at concentrations from 20 to 82.6%.