Chemical Composition of Essential Oil and Mineral Contents of Pulicaria inuloides

Abstract

Essential oils are volatile, natural, complex mixtures of compounds characterized by a strong odour and formed by aromatic plants as secondary metabolites. The chemical composition of the essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from the whole plant of Pulicaria inuloides grown in Yemen and collected at full flowering stage were analyzed by Gas chromatography-Mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Several oil components were identified based upon comparison of their mass spectral data with those of reference compounds. The main components identified in the oil were 47.34% of 2-Cyclohexen-1-one, 2-methyl-5-(1-methyl with Hexadecanoic acid (CAS) (12.82%) and Ethane, 1,2-diethoxy- (9.613%). In this study, mineral contents of whole plant of P. inuloides were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Highest level of K, Mg, Na, Fe and Ca of 159.5, 29.5, 14.2, 13.875 and 5.225 mg/100 g were found in P. inuloides.