ESSENTIAL AND FIXED OIL CHEMICAL COMPOSITIONS OF THE SEEDS FROM THE ENDEMIC SPECIES Salvia Sharifii RECH. F. & ESFAND

Abstract

ABSTRACT The essential oil content in the seeds of Salvia sharifii growing wild in south of Iran was found to be 0.2% (v/w). The essential oil was analyzed by GC and GC–MS. Twenty eight constituents, representing 85.0 % of the seeds essential oil were identified. The major components of the S. sharifii seeds essential oil were identified as sclareol (21.9%) and n-decane (17.3%). The fixed oil content and fatty acid composition of the seeds were also analyzed in order to determine their potential for human or animal consumption. The oil content in these edible seeds was found to be 19.9 %. The oil was analyzed by GC and GC/MS and five fatty acids identified which constituted 88.0 % of the oil. The main fatty acids of the oil were characterized as linoleic acid (39.7%) and linolenic acid (36.7%). Keywords: Salvia sharifii, Lamiaceae, Seeds, Essential oil, Fixed oil INTRODUCTION The largest genus of the Lamiaceae family, the genus Salvia L. represents an enormous and cosmopolitan assemblage of nearly 1000 species displaying remarkable variation. It has undergone marked species radiations in three regions of the world: Central and South America (500 spp.), Central Asia/Mediterranean (250 spp.) and Eastern Asia (90 spp.) [1]. Iran, particularly, is one of the centers of origin of the genus