Resumo

JARAMILLO, Beatriz E.; STASHENKO, Elena  e  MARTINEZ, Jairo René. Volatile chemical composition of the Colombian Satureja brownei (Sw.) Briq. and determination of its antioxidant activity. Rev Cubana Plant Med [online]. 2010, vol.15, n.1. ISSN 1028-4796.

INTRODUCTION: the aromatic plants are a valuable source of flavoring and/or active principles in pharmacological preparations, cosmetic, food additives, etc. Satureja brownie (Sw.) Brig (Lamiaceae) has been used in the folk medicine as flu remedie, digestive and carminative. Species of Satureja from several countries have shown a variable composition of its essential oil, particularly, in their leaves. Thus, in search of new flavours and antioxidant and effective agents we determined the volatile chemical composition of Colombian S. brownie and its antioxidant activity. OBJECTIVE: to establish the volatile chemical composition of essential oil, extracts, and volatile fractions of fresh leaves and stems of S. brownie (Sw.) Brig, by different extraction techniques and to assess the antioxidant activity of its essential oil. METHODS: we used distillation, extraction and headspace techniques to isolate the volatile secondary metabolites from leaves and stems of S. brownie. The in vitro antioxidant activity of essential oil obtained was assessed by determination of hexanal, the main carbonyl compound, released by linoleic acid subject to peroxidation and by quantified method of this acid as its methyl ester using gas chromatography coupled to in flame ionization detector and of electron capture. RESULTS: the main compound found in all extracts off S. brownie was the pulegona (54-71 %). The essential oil had antioxidant activity but not more efficient than the vitamin E and the butyl-hydroxianisol, both widely used as additives. CONCLUSIONS: total characterization of volatile secondary metabolites of a plant requires the use of some extraction techniques. The in vitro antioxidant activity of S. brownie becomes interesting source of natural antioxidants and justifies a further research on fractions isolation and(or) compounds accounting for it.

Palavras-chave : Satureja brownie (Sw.) Brig; volatile compounds; gas chromatography; extraction methods; antioxidant activity.

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