Essential oil composition and antioxidant activity of Abies numidica from Seraidi (Annaba) (Algeria): A sesquiterpene-dominant chemotype
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The essential oil (EO) of Abies numidica De Lannoy ex Carrière (Pinaceae) from Seraidi (Annaba) (north-eastern Algeria) was obtained by hydrodistillation (yield 0.21 ± 0.03 % w/w on a dry-weight basis, n = 3) and characterised by GC–MS. Fifty-three compounds were identified (98.83 % total chromatographic area), revealing a marked sesquiterpene dominance (58.11 %) over monoterpenes (35.25 %), quantified by a Metabolic Distribution Index IMD = 1.65, a comparatively high value within the genus Abies. The major constituents were humulane-1,6-dien-3-ol (11.46 %; tentatively identified), Δ3-carene (8.73 %), cis-carane oxide (7.42 %; an oxygenated monoterpene), trans-caryophyllene (7.40 %), and α-pinene (6.60 %). DPPH IC50 = 0.108 mg/mL (95 % CI: 0.0881–0.1445; Hill model R² = 0.983; n = 1.42), compared with α-tocopherol IC50 = 0.045 mg/mL as a lipophilic reference standard; FRAP = 267.6 ± 14.3 µmol Fe2+ eq./g at 1 mg/mL (R2 = 0.9975). The sesquiterpene-dominant chemotype is discussed as a possible, literature-based hypothesis related to chronic summer water deficit (P/PET = 0.42) and long-term population isolation, although this interpretation could not be tested directly in the present single-population, pooled-sample study.
Source: Figshare
Language: English
Subfield: Food Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7208722898