Volatile Constituents and Antioxidant Activity of Spathes From Five Uncommon Varieties of Phoenix Dactylifera L.

This study deals with the characterization of chemical composition of spathe essential oil of five male varieties of phoenix dactylifera l. including ghir (ghi), lar (lar), khosooyeh (kho), boyer (boy) and shahani (sha). the essential oil samples were prepared through hydro-distillation using a clevenger-type apparatus. the analysis of oil samples was carried out following dehydration process. hexane diluted samples were injected into a gas chromatograph attached to a mass spectrometer (gc/ms). kovats indices (ki) was calculated for each compound and their mass fragmentation pattern were studied. the results compared with the relevant information procured from wiley nl7 library and the pherobase and nist databases. the results of quantitative analysis of oil specimens indicated that ghi (0.03%) and lar (0.07%) cultivars contain the lowest and the highest extraction yields of essential oil, respectively. the oil samples were further screened for their dpph free radical scavenging effects by means of a thin layer chromatographic method, which showed a positive indication of anti-dpph activity through the visualization of spots and a yellow color change on spraying the chromatoplates with a 0.2 % methanolic solution of dpph. the results also indicated that 3,4-dimethoxytoluene is the main component in all phoenix dactylifera l. spathe oil samples. this methoxylated aromatic compound showed the highest concentration in boy (62.45%) and the lowest proportion in kho cultivar (41.57%). boy spathe oil was superior in the manifestation of dpph free radical scavenging activity as compared with other cultivars.