Chemical Constituents of Essential Oil from the Leaves of Ipomoea batatas L. (Lam.)

Abstract

The essential oil, obtained by hydrodistillation in an all glass Clevenger apparatus, from the air-dried leaves of Ipomoea batatas L. (Lam.) growing in Nigeria was analyzed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Forty-one constituents representing 93.5% of the oil were identified from the GC/MS spectra. Monoterpenes (22.0%), sesquiterpenes (46.5%) and diterpenes (22.5%) were the classes of compounds identified in the oil. The main constituents of the oil were abietadiene (8.9%), β-caryophyllene (8.8%), abieta-8,11,13-triene (7.1%), trans-(Z)-α-bergamotol (6.0%), cis-sabinene (5.5%) and spathulenol (5.3%). This is the first report on the chemical composition of essential oil of I. batatas growing in Nigeria. Aims: The aim of the research is to investigate the volatile constituents from I. batatas collected in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria Study Design:  Extraction of essential oil from the air-dried leaf samples of I. batatas and investigation of its chemical constituents. Place and Duration of Study: Mature leaves of I. batatas were collected from a location in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, in May 2012. Methodology: Air-dried and pulverized leaves were hydrodistilled in a Clevenger-type apparatus to obtained colourless volatile oil whose chemical constituents was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Results: A total of Forty-one compounds accounting 93.5% of the oil were identified from the GC/MS and the major constituents were found to be abietadiene (8.9%), β-caryophyllene (8.8%), abieta-8,11,13-triene (7.1%), trans-(Z)-α-bergamotol (6.0%), cis-sabinene (5.5%) and spathulenol (5.3%). Conclusion: The present oil compositions were found to be different from the results previously reported from the essential oils of different cultivars grown in other parts of the world.