Comparative phytochemical analysis of the leaves of two Myrtaceae members- Pimenta dioica (L.) Merril and Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merril and Perry

Abstract

Spices are the rich sources of essential oils. All spice and clove belongs to the same family Myrtaceae. Leaves of these two plants posses a unique aroma when crushed. The aim of this study was to analyse and compare the major phytochemicals present in the leaves of Pimenta dioica (L.) Merril and Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merril and Perry by Gas chromatography-Mass Spectrometry technique. Leaves were shade dried and pulverized with the help of an electric grinder. Through hydrodistillation the oils were separated and that was used for GC-MS analysis. The major constituent is eugenol. Pimenta dioica leaves contain 60.8% eugenol and that of Syzygium aromaticum contains 51.03%. Inaddition to eugenol other important components are chavicol, Palmitic acid, malonic acid and stearic acid. Eugenol has wide range of value such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiseptic anaesthetic etc. It is also used in the preparation of Ayurvedic medicines. Commercially these two leaves are not used for eugenol extraction. Present study revealed that it could be used as a promising one in Pharmaceutical industry.