Abstract

MONTALVO-LOPEZ, Isis; MONTALVO-HERNANDEZ, Domingo  and  MOLINA-TORRES, Jorge. Diversity of Volatile Organic Compounds in leaves of Pimenta dioica L. Merrill at Different Developmental Stages from Fruiting and no-fruiting Trees. J. Mex. Chem. Soc [online]. 2021, vol.65, n.3, pp.405-415.  Epub Feb 14, 2022. ISSN 1870-249X.  https://doi.org/10.29356/jmcs.v65i3.1498.

Pimenta dioica L. Merrill, known as pimienta gorda, xocoxochitl (in Nahuatl) or allspice, is native to Mesoamerica. In Mexico, it has been used since pre-Hispanic times due to its medicinal properties and as a condiment for the preparation of “tamales” and “moles”. The dried fruits have a high economic value due to their flavor and aroma: a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. For this reason, it is known as allspice in English. Xocoxochitl is a dioecious tree. The fruiting, female trees, have a greater economic importance, while non-fruiting trees, or male trees, function to some extent as pollinators. However, leaves and fruits present similar volatile organic compounds (VOCs) responsible for the already mentioned properties. In order to evaluate the VOCs in leaves at different developmental stages, leaves were collected from: 2-years-old sexually undifferentiated trees and 14-years-old female and male differentiated trees. VOCs were collected and evaluated using SPME-GC-MS. Data obtained show a great diversity of VOCs at all leaf developmental stages, regardless of the tree analyzed. The dried fruit essential oil is highly valued by the international industry, but the leaves have minor use. However, leaves showed a great VOCs richness containing most of the dried fruit compounds. The VOCs profile in female and male trees were also evaluated. Individual VOCs displayed a different relative amount in each leaf developmental stage, as well as specific compounds for each type of tree were identified.

Keywords : VOCs; allspice; SPME; terpenes.