|
Résumé :
|
The terpenoid composition of different cultivars of peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) grown in Uttarakhand (India) and accessions collected from wild were analyzed by capillary GC and GC/MS. The major characteristic constituents of all the cultivars and wild accessions were menthol (30.3–47.8%), menthone (4.5–48.6%), menthyl acetate (1.0–9.5%), menthofuran (0.1–14.6%), 1,8-cineole (4.1–8.9%), neo-menthol (1.5–4.9%) and iso-menthone (1.2–3.9%). Although the major characteristic constituents were the same in all oils, there were considerable variations in their quantitative makeup. The contents of menthol and menthofuran were found relatively higher in all cultivars grown in foothills compared to mid-hills. Interestingly, menthofuran, a characteristic compound of the peppermint oil, was detected either at trace level or as a minor component in all the three wild accessions collected from mid-hills. Quality evaluation of peppermint oils revealed that the performance of cultivars grown at foothill conditions are very close to the requirements of European pharmacopoeia as compared to mid-hills.
|
