Volatile metabolite profiling of ten Hedychium species by gas chromatography mass spectrometry coupled to chemometrics

The Hedychium genus (Zingiberaceae) produces a plethora of secondary metabolites that include terpenoids, some of which are known for their aromatic properties. The volatile compositions of several members of this genus have not been chemically defined, as many species are endemic to remote ecosystems. In the present research, the essential oil composition of ten Hedychium species (H. gardnerianum, H. flavescens, H. thyrisiforme, H. flavum, H. ellipticum, H. aurantiacum, H. gracile, H. greenii, H. spicatum, and H. coronarium) was studied by gas chromatography flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The essential oil yield obtained by hydrodistillation varied from 0.05 (%v/w) in H. greenii to 0.75 (%v/w) in H. ellipticum and H. thyrsiforme, respectively. A total of 56 constituents representing 75.93-99.66% of volatile constituents were characterized in the essential oil of 10 Hedychiwn species. The predominant components were beta-pinene in H. gardnerianum, H. gracile, H. thyrsiforme, H. flavum and H. flavescens; bornyl acetate in H. greenii; humulene epoxide I in H. aurantiacum; 1,8-cineole in H. spicatum and H. coronariwn. Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) and Principal component analysis (PCA) based on essential oil compositions grouped Hedychium species into three different clusters. In view of the ambiguity existing among different Hedychium species, the developed chemical fingerprint in the present study would assume great significance in identification and classification of Hedychium species.