Aromatic plants of tropical central Africa. V. volatile components of three zingiberaceae from Cameroon: Aframomum melegueta (roscoe) K. Schum., A. Daniellii (hook. f.) K. Schum. and A. Sulcatum (oliv. and hanb.) K. Schum.

Abstract

The essential oils isolated from the seeds of Aframomum melegueta (Roscoe) K. Schum., A. daniellii (Hook. f.) K. Schum. and A . sulcatum (Oliv. and Hanb.) K. Schum. by hydrodistillation were analysed by GLC and GC-MS. The essential oil of A. melegueta presents a characteristic composition with p-caryophyllene (8.5 %), a-humulene (31.3 %) and their epoxides (respectively 17.9 % and 27.7 %) as main constituents. With its high content of 1,8-cineole (48.9 %), the A. daniellii oil can be related to other species of the same genus already studied. The sesquiterpenoid content of A. sulcatum amounts to about 85 %, mainly hydrocarbons (81 %); among them, the guaienes are the most abundant (47.2 %). Other constituents that are important markers of individual species include linalol (A. melegueta), p-pinene, limonene and a-terpineol (A. danielliz], limonene and B-selinene (A. sulcatum). KEY WORDS Essential oil Aframomum melegueta (Roscoe) K. Schum. Aframomum daniellii (Hook. f.) K. Schum. Aframomum sulcatum ( O h . and Hanb.) K. Schum. Zingiberaceae GC GC-MS.

Aromatic Plants of Tropical Central Africa. XI. Essential Oils of Leaf and Seed ofAframomum melegueta(Roscoe) K. Schum. from Central African Republic

“…melegueta was that done by our laboratoryon the seeds of a Cameroonian species (2). In this study, we found that P-caryophyllene, a -humulene and their epoxides were the main constituents (85.4% altogether).…”

“…We would like to conclude that the oils from the Central African Republic do not clearly fit into any of the categories we have previously defined for the classification ofAframomum oils (2).…”

Chemical composition of absolute and supercritical carbon dioxide extract ofAframomum melegueta

“…In 1991, Menut et al 1 identified nine compounds in essential oil of A. meleguata from Cameroon, in particular β-caryophyllene, α-humulene and their oxides. In 1999, Ajaiyeoba and Ekundayo 5 identified 27 compounds (98.6% of the oil) in the volatile oil from Nigerian maniguette.…”

“…The reddish-brown seeds, commonly referred to as 'alligator pepper', 'guinea grains' or 'grains of paradise', have a strong aromatic flavour and a pungent taste. 1 These seeds are widely employed as spices, and are also ingredients in numerous local medicines. Their oil appears to have antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytoprotective properties.…”

Aromatic plants of tropical central Africa. Part XLIX: chemical composition of essential oils of the leaf and rhizome of Aframomum giganteum K. Schum from Gabon

“…have been the object of numerous chemical investigations, most of them relating to their fruits. [9][10][11][12][13] Nevertheless, the volatile constituents of the leaves and rhizomes have been less investigated, although these parts of the plants are often used in food and traditional medicine. The essential oils obtained from leaves of Aframomum spp.…”