Composition of the Centaurea hyracanica Bornm. essential oils in different parts of Iran

Centaurea hyrcanica is a kind of wheat flower distributed in north and north-east of iran. this study aimed to determine chemical composition of essential oil of c. hyrcanica for food supply, cosmetics industry and medicinal uses. the plant parts of c. hyrcanica were collected at flowering stage from four localities in mazandaran, tehran, and semnan provinces in may and june 2016. the plant parts including stem plus the leaf (sl), inflorescence (if), and root (r) were dried and crushed in laboratory. the essential oils were obtained by hydro-distillation and were analyzed by gas chromatography (gc) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (gc/ms). essential oil yields of stem plus the leaf, inflorescence, and root (w/w dried weight) from different localities varied in range of 0.03-0.14%, 0.03-0.28%, and 0.02 -0.77%, respectively. the major constituents of essential oils obtained from different parts of c. hyrcanica populations were caryophyllene oxide (13.6-44.8%) and spathulenol (3.6-16.,9%). the major constituent of root essential oils was cis-pinane (9.1%-24.2%). ethyl tetradecanoate (≤18.8%) was a major constituent in different populations of c. hyrcanica except pol sefid samples. 1-hexadecene, β-eudesmol, γ-eudesmol, and borneol were major compounds in essential oils of pol sefid samples. results of this study suggest that c. hyrcanica in highland condition is rich in essential oil and aroma profile, therefore growing and cultivation of these plants in cold regions is appropriate for producing high economic essential oil extracts and aroma profile for therapeutic uses and food.