DETERMINATION OF THE CARNOSIC ACID CONTENT IN WILD AND CULTIVATED ROSMARINUS-OFFICINALIS

The concentration of carnosic acid in a representative selection of le aves from wild and cultivated populations of Rosmarinus officinalis wa s determined by reversed-phase HPLC following extraction with supercri tical carbon dioxide. Different sources of variability including seaso n, genetics, leaf age, and growing origin (wild or cultivated) were co nsidered. Variability in the carnosic acid content among rosemary leav es appears to be largely due to seasonal and environmental factors, in addition to their individual origin(genetics). The results reveal exc ellent correlation (r = 0.93) between the carnosic acid concentration and photoperiod. The results presented can be used to improve the sele ction of raw materials for the extraction of carnosic acid from rosema ry.