Effect of season of harvest on essential oil yield and chemical composition of Citrus sinensis

Olusola Ifedolapo WATTI * and Lamidi Ajao USMAN

Department of Chemistry, University of Ilorin, P.M.B. 1515, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.
 
Research Article
GSC Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2017, 01(02), 056-065.
Article DOI: 10.30574/gscbps.2017.1.2.0048
Publication history: 
Received on 15 October 2017; revised on 26 November 2017; accepted on 29 November 2017
 
Abstract: 
Pulverized fresh and dried leaves of Citrus sinensis (500g) from morning harvests during both the rainy and dry seasons were hydro-distilled for 3 hours. The yield of essential oil from fresh leaves during the rainy season was 0.20 % (w/w), whereas in the dry season, it was 0.09 % (w/w). Seasonal variations significantly affected the yield, with higher yields observed in the rainy season. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed that oil from dry season harvest had more compounds than the oil from the dry season harvest. Monoterpenoids were predominant in both oil samples while sesquiterpenoids constituted 12.1 and 27.5% of rainy and dry season harvests respectively. Dominant compounds include limonene (4), 3-carene (3), alpha-fenchene (1) and beta-elemene (2). The composition of the oils varied across seasons, affecting their chemical profile. 
 
Keywords: 
Essential Oils; Seasonal Variations; Yield; Citrus sinensis; Alpha-Fenchene (1); Beta-Elemene; Limonene; 3-Carene
 
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