Comparison of the main components of the essential oils of "priprioca":: Cyperus articulatus var. articulatus L., C. articulatus var. nodosus L., C. prolixus kunth and C. rotundus L.

The essential oils from the tuber parts of Cyperus articulatus var. articulatus, C. articulatus var. nodosus, C. prolixus and C. rotundus cultivated in the State of Para were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MS. The oils of C. articulatus var. articulatus and C. artculatus var. nodosus showed mustakone (9.8-14.5% and 6.6-14.5%, respectively) and caryophyllene oxide (4.6-10.8% and 5.4-13.7%, respectively) as major components. The oils of C. prolixus were characterized by a higher amount of caryophyllene oxide (6.9-26.9%), alpha-cyperone (13.5--20.6%), and 14-hydroxy-9-epi-beta-caryophyllene (9.6-16.7%). alpha-cyperone (22.8%) and cyperotundone (12.1%) were the main compounds from the oil of C. rotundus. The oils of the two varieties of C. articulatus differed from those of the two other species studied here by the presence of mustakone. alpha-Pinene and beta-pinene were higher in the oils of C. articulatus than in those of C. prolixus and C. rotundus. Concerning the two varieties of C. articulatus cultivated in Para for commercialization in perfumery, we agree that the minor quantitative variations observed in the chemical composition probably do not modify the scent of their oils to any great extent.