Volatile flavor compounds in the leaves of fifteen taxa of Korean native chrysanthemum species

This study was conducted to compare the volatile flavor compounds found in the leaves of 15 taxa of Korean native Chrysanthemum species. The volatile flavor compounds from the taxa were collected using a simultaneous steam distillation and extraction technique and were analyzed using gas chromatography/mass selective detector (GC/MSD). A total of 45 volatile flavor compounds were identified with six functional groups: 14 alcohols, 4 ketones, 19 hydrocarbons, 5 esters, 2 acids, and 1 aldehyde. The main functional group in 15 taxa of Chrysanthemum species was alcohols, accounting for 28.7% of volatile flavor compounds, followed by ketones (21.2%) and hydrocarbons (13.2%). Camphor, which is known for its antimicrobial properties, was the most abundant volatile compound (30%) in C. zawadskii ssp. latilobum and var. leiophyllum. In particular, C. indicum subspecies and C. boreale contained -thujone, which has outstanding anti-bacterial, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, and anti-diabetic efficacies. C. indicum var. albescens could be used in perfumes, since it showed 21 times more camphene than C. indicum. In addition, C. indicum var. acuta contained a fairly high content of 1,8-cineole, which has an inhibitory effect on mutagenesis. C. lineare contained only pentadecanoic acid compounds, whereas other taxa hexadecanoic acids. Overall, the Korean native Chrysanthemum species had considerable variation in volatile flavor compounds in their leaves. This study provides a good indication of specific potential use for various applications.