Chemical compositions of seven essential oils from Blighia sapida (K. Koenig), (Sapindaceae)

Abstract

Blighia sapida essential oils were obtained in Nigeria by hydro-distillation, using all-glass apparatus (British Pharmacopeia specifications). Yields of essential oils procured were from 0.38% to 0.77%. Characterization of the chemical components was done using gas chromatography and gas chromatographymass spectrometry to detect compounds for pharmaceutical and industrial applications in the future, this can also establish ethnomedicinal uses of Blighia sapida. A total of one hundred and forty-two compounds were identified in the seven essential oils of Blighia sapida. Percentage characterized compounds in leaf, leaf stalk, stem bark, root, fruit pulp, fruit husk and fruit seed essential oils were 78.77%, 70.98%, 32.89%, 33.08%, 45.25%, 68.88% and 87.37% respectively. The dominating identified compound are butyl cyclobutyl phthalate (9.11%), pentadecanal (5.18%), (E)-1,10-dimethyl-trans-9-decalol (6.31%), 4,8,12,15,15-pentamethylbicyclo[ 9,3,1]pentadeca-3,7-den-12-ol (7.92%), tributyl-1-propene-1,2,3-tricarboxylate (12.69%), 4,8,12,15,15-pentamethyl-bicyclo[9,3,1]pentadeca-3,7-den-12-ol (29.10%) and (Z)-vaccenic acid (14.24%) respectively. This study revealed important compounds in the leaf, leaf stalk, stem bark, root, fruit pulp, fruit husk and fruit seed essential oils of Blighia sapida which have not been reported earlier in literature despite the use of Blighia sapida traditionally to treat many ailments, these chemical constituents identified might be useful pharmaceutically and industrially. These results indicate that Blighia sapida essential oils were mostly dominated by terpenoids and esters.

Keywords: Hydrodistillation, gas chromatography-mass spectrophotometry, terpenoids, esters.