Free and glycosidically bound volatiles of Mentha citrata ehrh.

Free and glycosidically bound volatiles of surficial parts of Mentha citrat a were investigated. Free volatile compounds were isolated from dried plant material by two methods: hydrodistillation and extraction with pentane use d as control. Free volatile compounds as well as the aglycones obtained aft er enzymatic hydrolysis of glycosides were analyzed by gas chromatography-m ass spectrometry (GC-MS). A significant difference in qualitative and quant itative composition of volatile compounds of the essential oil and pentane extract was found. The major components of the essential oil and pentane ex tract were linalyl acetate (21.46%; 42.02%), linalool(13.68%; 22.66%), 1,8- cineole (12.51%; 6.40%), beta -myrcene (8.10%; 2.87%), a-terpineol (7.38%; 0.73%) and geranyl acetate (8.66%; 1.76%). The major components of the vola tile aglycones were 1-octen-3-ol (40.28%), eugenol(12.29%), 3-octanol(7.09% ), linalool (4.59%), benzyl alcohol (3.71%), 2-phenylethanol (3.67%), S-hex ene-l-ol (2.87%) and 1-heptene-3-ol (2.88%). Compared with free volatile co mpounds (essential oil: 1.56%; pentane extract: 1.64%), the glycosidically bound volatiles were present in a lower concentration, about 0.0068%.