Spectroscopic study on chemical composition of essential oil and crude extract from Albanian Pinus halepensis Mill.

Abstract

Balkan countries are home to outstanding natural bioresources such as large number of herbs, plants and forestry species. They are also, among the most important export regions for medicinal and aromatic plants in Europe. Balkan has various flora with different tree species as well. Pinus halepensis, also known as the Aleppo pine, is native to the Mediterranean region. However, its range extends to Balkan countries as well, such as Albania, Greece, Croatia and Montenegro. It is one of the many trees that are well known for their medicinal properties, as well as for their economical significance. In this work essential oils/extracts of Pinus halepensis needles were acquired by hydro-distillation (Clevenger type) and Soxhlet extraction. The pine oils and crude extracts were analysed by FTIR spectroscopy and UV-Vis spectrophotometry aiming the identification of the main chemical constituents of the oil extracts of Albanian pine needles. FTIR analyses indicated presence of caryophyllene and pinene as the main chemical constituents in the essential oil and extract of pine needles.