Determination and Comparative Analysis of Essential Oil Content in Litsea cubeba from Different Regions

This study focused on Litsea cubeba from eight regions—Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, and Fujian—and analyzed the content and variability of 10 terpenoid compounds, including D−Limonene and α−Pinene, in their volatile oils using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC−MS). The results showed that among the terpenoids in Litsea cubeba from different regions, D−Limonene,(E)-Citral, and (Z)-Citral were the most abundant, with content ranges of 95.05～213.79 μg/mL, 106.60–206.13 μg/mL, and 123.90～233.32 μg/mL, respectively. The content ranges of other compounds were as follows: Eucalyptol(13.78～27.86 μg/mL), Linalool(12.83–26.23 μg/mL), trans-Caryophyllene(14.06～29.88 μg/mL), the monoterpene α−Pinene(10.77～16.48 μg/mL), β−Pinene(10.11～15.70 μg/mL), β−Myrcene(17.45～28.94 μg/mL), and Geraniol(6.24～16.60 μg/mL), with some instances below detection limits. These results indicate that the primary components of Litsea cubeba volatile oil are limonene and citral. Furthermore, the variability analysis revealed that Guangdong and Guangxi, as the native sources of Litsea cubeba, exhibited the highest content of representative terpenoids, demonstrating significant developmental potential. Additionally, Litsea cubeba from Sichuan and Hunan also showed relatively high levels of these key terpenoids, making them noteworthy as superior germplasms. This study provides a reference for quality evaluation and further development of superior Litsea cubeba varieties.