Chemical composition of essential oils of elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) flowers and fruits

Abstract

The majority of essential oils obtained from medicinal plants have been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of different kinds of diseases, and they are increasingly used in the diet. Due to their chemical composition, essential oils are a very interesting product of the secondary metabolism of plants, for both consumers and researchers. Among others, elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) is mostly a woody plant, while it can rarely be found as a herbaceous perennial plant. This plant species has been used in traditional medicine because it is a very rich source of phytochemicals. The aim of this study was to identify and compare the composition of essential oils obtained from flowers and fruits of this plant, collected from the Balkan Peninsula. The oils were obtained using the Clevenger apparatus, and their composition was evaluated by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The oil composition was affected by the part of the plants used: the most abundant bioactive compounds in the essential oil of air-dried elderberry fruits were ?-damascenone (35.70%) and linalyl anthranilate (24.15%). ?-damascenone was the dominant compound in the essential oil of lyophilized elderberry fruits (38.64%), while linalool was detected in the concentration of 32.80%. In the essential oil of air-dried elderflowers, the most abundant compound was carane (13.19%). The essential oils of S. nigra shown substantial chemical composition and could be used as a potential source of natural products in the cosmetics and food industry.