The oleochemical potential of some wild nutmegs from North East India

Abstract

The essential and fixed oils cover a vast arena of industrial usage, including flavour-fragrances, cosmetics, health-body care, biofuel and bioenergy. The species of Myristicaceae were traditionally used to prepare soaps and candles. The research focused on extracting and characterising the essential and fixed oils of Myristicaceae from Assam and adjoining region. The study found essential oil for the first time from vegetative parts of Horsfieldia kingii and H. amygdalina from NE India. GC-MS analysis exhibited nearly 47 compounds among Horsfieldia kingii, H. amygdalina and Knema angustifolia, having compositional similarity among the latter two. About 11 common and significant compounds identified were copaene (1.34–22.22%), β-caryophyllene (0.34–4.36%), caryophyllene oxide (0.82–50.43%), humulene epoxide II (1.21–5.67%), δ-cadinol (1.10–7.92%), epi-γ-eudesmol (3.03–10.83%), globulol (0.82–42.28%), viridiflorol (2.34–39.14%), β-elemene (0.47–18.62%), shyobunol (1.37–7.5%) and t-cadinol (1.29–4.46%). The volatiles with high area coverage were juniper camphor (70.85%), caryophyllene oxide (50.43%), globulol (42.28%), viridiflorol (39.14%), α-pinene (36.56%), and β-selinene (20.53%). The physicochemical parameters of fixed oils of kernel and mace of H. amygdalina, H. kingii, K. angustifolia, K. linifolia and K. tenuinervia for the first time showed the yield 6.10–44.35% with compositional abundance of myristic acid, methyl ester (20.87–86.1%), lauric acid, methyl ester (35.81–40.02%), oleic acid, methyl ester (30.2–47.45%), palmitic acid, methyl ester (19.16–37.9%), mostly the saturated fatty acids. Both essential and fixed oils of wild nutmegs depicted the commercial potential of wild biowaste for novel renewable source of biomarkers.