Al. Wilkins et al., EXTRACTIVES FROM NEW-ZEALAND HONEYS .4. LINALOOL DERIVATIVES AND OTHER COMPONENTS FROM NODDING THISTLE (CARDUUS-NUTANS) HONEY, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 41(6), 1993, pp. 873-878
Sixteen linalool derivatives and a variety of aliphatic acids and diac
ids, aromatic acids, and phenols (total of 61 components) were identif
ied in the methylated diethyl ether extracts of New Zealand nodding th
istle (Carduus nutans) honeys using GC-FID and combined GC-MS methods.
Separation of the diethyl ether extracts afforded three dominant lina
lool derivatives which were identified using one- and two-dimensional
NMR procedures as (E)-2,6-dimethyl-3,7-octadiene-2,6-diol (3), (Z)-2,6
-dimethyl-6-hydroxy-2,7-dienal (8), and (E)-2,6-dimethyl-6-hydroxy-2,7
-octadienoic acid (characterized as methyl ester, 6). The minor compon
ents, -dimethyl-5-ethenyl-2-tetrahydrofuranacetaldehydes [lilac aldehy
des (11), four isomers] and eta,5-dimethyl-5-ethenyl-2-tetrahydrofuran
ethanols [lilac alcohols (10), four isomers], were identified by compa
rison with synthetic samples. The total level of linalool derivatives
in the nodding thistle honey samples was between 15 and 87 mug/g of ho
ney (average level 43 mug/g of honey).