Organic extractives from Mentha spp. honey and the bee-stomach: methyl syringate, vomifoliol, terpenediol I, hotrienol and other compounds

Molecules. 2010 Apr 22;15(4):2911-24. doi: 10.3390/molecules15042911.

Abstract

The GC and GC/MS analyses of the solvent organic extractive from the stomach of the bees, having collected Mentha spp. nectar, revealed the presence of methyl syringate (6.6%), terpendiol I (5.0%) and vomifoliol (3.0%) that can be attributed to the plant origin. Other major compounds from the bee-stomach were related to the composition of cuticular waxes and less to pheromones. Organic extractives from Mentha spp. honey were obtained by solvent-free headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and ultrasonic solvent extraction (USE) and analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The major honey headspace compounds were hotrienol (31.1%-38.5%), 2-methoxy-4-methylphenol (0.5-6.0%), cis- and trans-linalool oxides (0.9-2.8%), linalool (1.0-3.1%) and neroloxide (0.9-1.9%). Methyl syringate was the most abundant compound (38.3-56.2%) in the honey solvent extractives followed by vomifoliol (7.0-26.6%). Comparison of the honey organic extractives with the corresponding bee-stomach extractive indicated that methyl syringate and vomofoliol were transferred to the honey while terpendiol I was partially transformed to hotrienol in ripened honey.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alkenes / chemistry
  • Alkenes / isolation & purification
  • Animals
  • Bees / chemistry*
  • Butanols / chemistry
  • Butanols / isolation & purification
  • Cyclohexanones / chemistry
  • Cyclohexanones / isolation & purification
  • Gallic Acid / analogs & derivatives
  • Gallic Acid / chemistry
  • Gallic Acid / isolation & purification
  • Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
  • Honey / analysis*
  • Mentha / chemistry*
  • Solid Phase Microextraction
  • Stomach / chemistry
  • Terpenes / chemistry
  • Terpenes / isolation & purification
  • Ultrasonics

Substances

  • Alkenes
  • Butanols
  • Cyclohexanones
  • Terpenes
  • methyl syringate
  • Gallic Acid
  • vomifoliol
  • 3,7-dimethyl-1,5(E),7-octatrien-3-ol