Essential Oil Composition of Four Major Cultivars of Black Pepper ( <i>Piper nigrum</i> L.) III

Abstract

Abstract Four major cultivars of black pepper from Kerala viz. Thevanmundi, Poonjaranmunda, Valiakaniakadan, and Subhakara were analyzed for a period of three consecutive seasons for their oil composition. Fifty-five compounds were identified in die oils by GC and GC/MS. The main components of Thevanmundi oil were sabinene (4.5–16.2%), β-pinene (3.7–8.7%), limonene (8.3–18.0%) and β-caryophyllene (20.3–34.7%). Poonjaranmunda oil contained as major compounds β-pinene (6.0–11.7%) limonene (14.9–15.8%), β-ocimene (< 0.1–12.0 %), β-caryophyllene (24.4–30.8%) and elemol (1.2–6.8%). Valiakaniakadan oil contained α-pinene (2.9–6.3%), sabinene (12.9–17.1%), 8-3-carene (0-10.5%), limonene (12.9–18.6%) and β-caryophyllene (23.0–38.4%). The oil from Karimunda selection-27 contained α-pinene (3.2–7.0%), β-pinene (7.6–9.6%), δ-3-carene (19.0–23.4%), limonene (18.3–22.7%), β-caryophyllene (7.6–21.3%) and caryophyllene oxide (0.4–6 %).