Abstract
The essential oil of two related tree species, P. friedrichsthalianum and P. guajava, where obtained. A total of six different oil samples were recovered including leaves in dry/rainy season and fruits of both plant species. Oil yields ranged between 0.128% (P. friedrichsthalianum leaves during dry season)-0.743% (P.guajava leaves during rainy season). All extracts were subjected to a GC/MS analysis using, during the chromatographic separation, a polyethylene glycol column. In general terms, we recognized three independent biosynthetic routes i. aromatic compounds ii. Terpenes and iii.Fatty acids derivatives. Several compound were found to be preserved in several of the oils such as 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol, α-terpineol and neointermedeol whereas Costa Rican guava fruit exhibit unique compounds such as 2H-pyran-2,6-(3H)-dione. Terpenes and fatty acids are among the most variable (p 0.1%) and trace compounds. In addition, we evaluated the antimicrobial activity of these essential oils against common foodborne and food-spoilage related bacteria. The rainy season P. guajava leafs’ presented the highest antimicrobial activity against all the bacteria strains tested, with inhibition zones ranging from 31 to 52 mm. This study will help understand volatile composition of a fruit producing plant native from this geographic area and hints toward possible applications.
Highlights
The Myrtaceae is a family of dicotyledonous plants which is comprised of at least 5650 species [1,2]
The chemical profile obtained for the essential oils resulted to be a complex mixture as evidenced by heavily signal-charged total ion chromatograms (TIC)
The chromatogram of P. guajava fruit essential oil serves as an example and is presented in Table 1 and Figures 1 and 2
Summary
The Myrtaceae is a family of dicotyledonous plants which is comprised of at least 5650 species (ca. 130-150 genera) [1,2]. The Myrtaceae is a family of dicotyledonous plants which is comprised of at least 5650 species One group of trees and shrubs contained in this family, Psidium, are native to warmer parts of the Western Hemisphere [3]. Essential oils are usually by-products of fruits or fruit tree processing [6]; their importance reflects their industrial or bioactive properties [7]. As Costa Rica’s tropical fruit production and exportation (estimated at 1600 million USD in 2014) has increased in the last several years [8], so has fruit processing to juice and pulp. Extraction of essential oils from such species is feasible, and represents a viable alternative to increase value from the fruit production industry [9]. In 2011 alone, the essential oil global industry was estimated to be ca. In 2011 alone, the essential oil global industry was estimated to be ca. 24 billion USD [9]
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