S Mlala1, O Oyedeji1 and B Nkeh-Chungag2
1University of Fort Hare, South Africa 2Walter Sisulu University, South Africa
Posters-Accepted Abstracts: Nat Prod Chem Res
Green plants synthesize and store a variety of biochemical compounds some of which extractable as raw material and can be used for various scientific investigations. The aim of this study is to extract and identify biologically active volatile chemical compounds from Tagetes minuta. This aromatic plant was considered for extraction of essential oils using hydrodistillation method as prescribed by British pharmacopeia. Cis-β-ocimene (38.08%), caryophyllene oxide (18.04%), cis-ocimene (38.14%) and trans-β-ocimene (37.03%) are the major components of essential oil identified from fresh stem, dry stem, fresh flower and dry flower, respectively. The above compounds were identified by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). This is an on-going investigation and therefore biological studies of essential oils extracted from Tagetes minuta are still to be considered for its application.
Email: ooyedeji@ufh.ac.za
