Headspace-solid-phase microextraction fast GC in combination with principal component analysis as a tool to classify different chemotypes of chamomile flower-heads (Matricaria recutita l.)

Phytochem Anal. 2006 Jul-Aug;17(4):217-25. doi: 10.1002/pca.919.

Abstract

Headspace-solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-principal component analysis (HS-SPME GC-PCA) is proposed as a complementary or alternative method to essential oil (EO) GC-PCA in order to discriminate between flower-heads of chamomile of different chemotypes. Ninety-two EOs and the headspaces sampled by HS-SPME of the corresponding chamomile flower-heads were examined by conventional GC and fast GC (F-GC) and the results submitted to statistical analysis by PCA. HS-SPME F-GC-PCA showed itself to be a rapid technique by which to distinguish chamomile flower-head chemotypes a produced results in agreement with the accepted EO classification. Using this method, the analysis time was reduced from at least 4.5 h with EO conventional GC to less than 1 h with HS-SPME F-GC. This approach can thus successfully be used as an analytical decision maker in order to reduce the number of time-consuming EO conventional GC analyses by limiting them to those samples that cannot unequivocally be classified. The EO conventional GC and HS-SPME F-GC results of PCA were very uniform, but they did not provide quantitative correlations between the components as determined by the two methods. A different statistical approach and a larger number of samples will be needed in order to correlate components in the headspace sampled by SPME and those in the corresponding EO quantitatively through a function.

MeSH terms

  • Chromatography, Gas / methods*
  • Flowers / chemistry
  • Flowers / classification
  • Matricaria / chemistry*
  • Matricaria / classification*
  • Monocyclic Sesquiterpenes
  • Oils, Volatile / analysis
  • Oils, Volatile / chemistry*
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • Sesquiterpenes / analysis*
  • Sesquiterpenes / chemistry

Substances

  • Monocyclic Sesquiterpenes
  • Oils, Volatile
  • Sesquiterpenes
  • bisabolol