Essential oil analysis of 10 Piperaceae species from the Brazilian Atlantic forest

The volatile composition of ten Piperaceae species, comprising three genera (Ottonia, Piper and Peperomia) has been studied. The species were collected in a typical fragment of the Brazilian Atlantic forest, constantly being damaged by human action. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation in a modified Clevenger-type apparatus and their analyses were performed by GC and GC/MS. Identification of the substances was made by comparison of mass spectra and retention indices with literature records. A great number of non-oxygenated monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes were identified. Most of these sesquiterpenes are derived from EE-farnesyl-PP, suggesting a preference of these species to synthesize metabolites from this pathway. Arylpropanoids, although being common compounds produced by Piperaceae species, were not found in these oils. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.