Characterization of essential oil from Matricaria sevanensis by microwave-assisted distillation

Matricaria sevanensis is a widespread plant species grown in Central Anatolian and helps to prevent sleep disorders, influenza and stomach upsets when consumed in tea form. In this study, the essential oil from aerial parts of M. sevanensis collected from Osmaniye Province of Turkey was obtained by solvent-free microwave-assisted distillation at 340 W in 30 min and its chemical compounds, some thermal characteristics, functional groups and antioxidant activity were investigated by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, respectively. Also, temperature values were recorded in every 5 min of distillation process in order to visualize a profile depending on time. Oil yield was nearly 0.04% (v/w), and eighteen components were totally identified by GC/MS. Bisabolene oxide A (50.32%), (Z)-beta-farnesene (24.20%), alpha-bisabolol oxide A (8.12%) and alpha-farnesene (4.06%) were found as major compounds. Three peaks were observed in DSC graph, and onset temperatures (T-o), peak temperatures (T-p) and enthalpy (Delta H) values were specified. FTIR spectra showed that several functional groups such as alcohols, alkanes, aromatics, amines and ethers were present in essential oil. Antioxidant activity (IC50) of M. sevanensis essential oil was also computed as 156.005 mu g mL(-1) (p < 0.05).