Preliminary analysis on essential oil composition of Perilla L. cultivated in Lithuania.

This study represents the investigation of the essential oil of Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton, Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton var. crispa f. viridis, Perilla ocymoides L. var. bicolorlaciniata leaves collected at full flowering stage in August 2007, in Lithuania. As biogenesis and composition of essential oil depends on geographical location, environmental factors, plants with same chemotypes but growing in different conditions have different composition of major components. Plants have been cultivated in the collection of medicinal plants at Kaunas Botanical Garden of Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania. Essential oil was analyzed using gas chromatography methods with flame ionization and mass spectrometry detectors. Thirteen constituents of essential oil, representing 96.42% of identified compounds, were indentified in the essential oil of Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton. Essential oil was ascertained to perillaketone chemotype. Principal compounds were found to be perillaketone and egomaketone. In Perilla ocymoides L. var. bicolorlaciniata aerial parts 97.70% of essential oil components were indentified with abundant amounts of perillaldehyde (72.07%) and limonene (13.15%). Essential oil contained two phenylpropanoids elemicin (1.91%) and myristicin (1.41%). In the essential oil of Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton var. crispa f. viridis 83.18% compounds were indentified. Principal compounds were found to be perillaldehyde (49.47%), limonene (11.76%), limonene oxides (9.85%) and caryophyllene oxide (7.21%). beta-Caryophyllene and perillaldehyde were the only compounds identified in all investigated perilla plants. Considering a broad diversity of Perilla L. species and chemotypes, it is important to discriminate cultivated Perilla L. species with identified chemotypes.