Components and Variations of Volatile Organic Compounds Released from Rosmarinus officinalis

To investigate the composition and variation of volatile organic compounds released from leaves and petals of Rosmarinus officinalis, by using the methods of headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used. Volatile organic compounds released from leaves of R.officinalis in different seasons and volatile organic compounds released from their petals were collected. The main components and relative content of volatile organic compounds were analyzed. The results showed that 43 kinds of VOCs were identified in different seasons, including terpenes, alcohols, ketones, esters and so on. The terpenes and alcohols were the major VOCs released from leaves of R.officinalis, containing 16 species and 9 species respectively. The relative content of the terpenes was increasing and then decreasing, finally increasing, which was the most and was 82.40% in June. The relative content of alcohols showed a downward trend and a rise and then decrease. The changes of the types of VOCs released by the leaves of R.officinalis firstly increased and then decreased in 1 year, which were the most and were 30 species in June, while they reduced the least in September, only were 22 species. The types of VOCs increased and then decreased in 1 day during June, and which reached the most at 14: 00, mainly were terpenes. The components released form petals were less than which from leaves distinctly, the major components were terpenes. The relative content of terpenes was 65.32% and 94.84% respectively released from leaves and petals, the major component of which was(1R)-(+)-α- pinene. The major components released from leaves and petals all had officinal and health care effects.