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Chemical Composition of the Essential Oil of Pistacia lentiscus L. from Eastern Morocco

Hassan Amhamdi, Fatima Aouinti, Jean Paul Wathelet and Ali Elbachiri

Laboratory of Physical Chemistry and Natural Resources and Environment, Department of Chemistry, University Mohamed I, BP 717, Avenue Mohamed VI, 60000, Oujda, Morocco

Faculté Pluridisciplinaire de Nador, B.P. 350, 62700, Selouane, Nador, Morocco

Unité de Chimie Générale et Organique, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques de Gembloux, Passage des Déportés 2, B-5030 Gembloux, Belgium

Abstract: The essential oil from leaves of Pistacia lentiscus L., an aromatic member of the Anarcadiaceae family from Eastern Morocco , obtained by hydrodistillation, was analysed by GC-FID and GC- MS. The constituents were identified by their mass spectra and Kovats’indices. About 104 constituents were detected in the oil. From these components, about 40 could be identified and quantified, comprising over 88.6% of the oil. The main constituents of the oil were: myrcene (39.2%), limonene (10,3) β -gurjunene (7.8), germacrene (4.3%), α -pinene (2.9%), muurolene (2.9), α -humulene (2.6), Epi- bicyclosesquiphellandrene (2.5), β -pinene (2.2). The results of this study shows both qualitative and quantitative differences with oils from P. lentiscus L of other countries .

Keywords: Pistacia lentiscus; Anacardiaceae; essential oil composition, myrcene, limonene.