GC-MS Studies on the Steam-distillate of the Medicinally Important Plant Cleome gynandra L.

The steam distillate of the medicinally important plant Cleome gynandra has been investigated through the Hyphenated technique of Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS). The distillate incorporated seven major volatile components. Probable structure of one of the major components has been elucidated.

Aroma of Turmeric: Dependence on the Combination of Groups of Several Odor Constituents

Turmeric is a popular material that plays an important role in the flavor and fragrance industries. Although many compounds have been reported as components of turmeric, its aroma profile has not been clarified. Recently we have developed a new approach for evaluating the complex odors of materials based on recent research on the mechanism of odor recognition. Here we report the characteristic aroma properties of turmeric obtained through the investigation of its aroma profile. The hexane extract of turmeric had a turmeric-like odor, whereas the steam distillate of turmeric had a pungent, non-turmeric-like odor. We carried out bulb-to-bulb distillations of the extract and the steam distillate. For the hexane extract, two fractions with completely different odors were obtained. One was a high boiling point fraction (group A) with a turmeric-like odor, which consisted of ar-turmerone and β-turmerone as the main components, and the other was a low boiling point fraction (group B), which consisted of α-curcumene and β-sesquiphellandrene. In contrast, the bulb-to-bulb distillation of the steam distillate gave a fraction (group C) with a very different odor from groups A and B. Group C was composed of several kinds of alcohols that were not present in groups A and B. These results indicate that the group C fraction causes the different, pungent odor of the turmeric oil obtained by steam distillation. The variation in the aroma of turmeric depended on the combination of these three groups of odor constituents.

Toxicity of Kaempferia galanga rhizome-derived extract and steam distillate to Meloidogyne incognita juveniles and eggs, and their effects on Lycopersicon esculentum germination and growth

The toxicity of Kaempferia galanga rhizome-derived methanol extract (RME), powder (RP) and steam distillate (RSD) to Meloidogyne incognita second-stage juveniles (J2) and eggs, and their effects on Lycopersicon esculentum germination and growth were examined in vitro and in pot experiments. Results were compared with those of three nematicides: carbofuran, fosthiazate and metam sodium. In contact + fumigant bioassays with J2, RME applied at 1, 0.5 and 0.25 mg (g soil)–1 resulted in 92, 88 and 73% mortality, respectively. The lethality of RME was almost the same as carbofuran but lower than that of either fosthiazate or metam sodium. RSD and RP were less active than RME. In vapour-phase mortality bioassays with J2, the test materials were more effective in a closed container than in an open one, indicating that mode of delivery was, in part, a result of vapour action. In direct-contact mortality bioassays with M. incognita eggs, RME, RSD and fosthiazate treatments resulted in 91, 100 and 95% inhibition of hatch at 250 μg ml–1 and 82, 88 and 81% inhibition of hatch at 100 μg ml–1, respectively. In filter paper bioassays with L. esculentum seed, 8.8 μg cm–2 RME and RP did not cause germination inhibition, while RSD and fosthiazate treatments resulted in 84 and 13% germination inhibition. In pot tests, RME and RSD applied at 8 mg (g soil)–1 reduced galling caused by M. incognita significantly, and fosthiazate at 0.02 mg (g soil)–1 stopped galling completely. Kaempferia galanga rhizome-derived materials, particularly a methanol extract, merit further study as potential nematicides and hatching inhibitors for the control of M. incognita as fumigants with contact action.

Putative chemical signals of leopard

A study of marking fluid (MF) of Indian male leopard has been undertaken as a continuation of the earlier work on tiger and cheetah pheromones. The behavioural observations reveal that MF is presumably the primary means of communication in leopard. The chemical analyses reveal the presence of acetic, propionic, isobutyric, butyric, isovarleric, valeric, isohexanoic, hexanoic, isoheptanoic, heptanoic, isooctanoic, octanoic and nonanoic acid in the acidic fraction of steam distillate of MF. Amines like etylenediamine, putrescine, cadaverine and phenylethylamine, dimethylamine and trimethylamine were also detected in the basic fraction of MF. The amount of lipid extracted from MF is 1.15 mg/ml.