Principal component analysis of essential oils of Origanum vulgare L. from different production areas

OBJECTIVE To study chemical components of essential oils of Origanum vulgare L. from different production areas and to provide scientific basis for better resource. METHODS With a flame ionization detector(GC-FID) and examined for volatile constituents by GC-MS to identify chemical components of essential oils from six different areas. Utilized principal component analysis to analyze and comprehensive assessment essential oils from six different production areas of Origanum vulgare L.RESULTS The procedure allowed the identification of 11 to 46 components among six production areas, representing 98.5% to 99.9% of the total oil extracted. From the principal component analysis and cluster analysis of chemical components of essential oils from six different production areas of Origanum vulgare L., which obtained 3 principal components, the first main component were eucalyptol and eugenol methyl ether; the second major component were germacrene D and aryophyllene oxide; and the third major component was thymol. The cumulative contribution rates of the three main components reached 99.57%. CONCLUSION Different essential oils of Origanum vulgare L. from six different production areas are compared, the components are β-citronellol(72.7%-85.3%), citronellol acetate(8.8%-12.2%), thymol(1.5%-42.9%), caryophyllene(0.4%-17.7%). According to the principal component factor and weighted comprehensive scores, the chemical components of Origanum vulgare L. from Kunlun Mountain of Hetian, Pakistan and Hetian are similar.