Abstract
Within the unavoidable variability of various origins in the characteristics of essential oils, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the distillation time on the chemical composition and biological activity of Cannabis sativa essential oils (EOs). The dry inflorescences came from Carmagnola, Kompolti, Futura 75, Gran Sasso Kush and Carmagnola Lemon varieties from Abruzzo region (Central Italy), the last two being new cultivar here described for the first time. EOs were collected at 2 h and 4 h of distillation; GC/MS technique was applied to characterize their volatile fraction. The EOs were evaluated for total polyphenol content (TPC), antioxidant capacity (AOC) and antimicrobial activity against food-borne pathogens and spoilage bacteria. The time of distillation particularly influenced EOs chemical composition, extracting more or less terpenic components, but generally enriching with minor sesquiterpenes and cannabidiol. A logical response in ratio of time was observed for antioxidant potential, being the essential oils at 4 h of distillation more active than those distilled for 2 h, and particularly Futura 75. Conversely, except for Futura 75, the effect of time on the antimicrobial activity was variable and requires further investigations; nevertheless, the inhibitory activity of all EOs against Pseudomonas fluorescens P34 was an interesting result.
Highlights
Bioactive compounds are chemical components present in plants with interesting chemical and biological activities [1]
Several agricultural farms, research organizations and institutions have shown a new interest in the cultivation of Cannabis sativa L. with low content of ∆9tetrahydrocannabinol THC, because of its good application in food and pharmaceutical fields
Cannabis sativa L., a plant belonging to Cannabaceae family, has long been known to contain powerful antioxidant, antibacterial and antimicrobial agents as cannabinoids, terpenoids and polyphenols that act in synergy [3,4,5]
Summary
Bioactive compounds are chemical components present in plants with interesting chemical and biological activities [1]. Terpenes are the most abundant in the volatile fraction, which is composed of monoterpenes (e.g., α-pinene, myrcene and terpinolene) and bitter-tasting sesqui-terpenes (e.g., caryophyllene, humulene and caryophyllene oxide) [7]. Among the latter, caryophyllene and its degradation product caryophyllene oxide showed important anticancer and analgesic properties [8]. The least volatile fraction of hemp essential oil is made up of cannabinoids, among which cannabidiol (CBD) is by far the predominant compound. CBD is formed from cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) through decarboxylation into the relative neutral form, which is the pharmacologically active one [9]
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