Sesquiterpenic composition of the inflorescences of Brazilian chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.): Impact of the agricultural practices

Matricaria recutita L is one of the most common medicinal plants, included in all over the world pharmacopoeias due to, among others, the relevant health benefits of its sesquiterpenic compounds. This paper aims to study the impact of the agricultural practices of M. recutita L on the occurrence of sesquiterpenic compounds. To fulfill this objective, a methodology that combines the headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with one-dimensional gas chromatography-quadrupole mass spectrometry detection (GC-qMS) was implemented. Thirteen populations from different geographic origins, agricultural practices, and harvest times, grown in Santa Catarina and Parana states, in Brazil, were analyzed. The samples from organic practice showed a tendency to have lower amount of sesquiterpenic compounds than those from the conventional agricultural system. Eleven samples were classified as chemotype B (rich in bisabolol oxide B) and the remaining 2 were classified as chemotype A (rich in bisabolol oxide A). Predominance of chemotype B was observed concerning the agricultural practices (organic or conventional) or geographic origin (Santa Catarina or Parana). In order to obtain a deeper insight into the sesquiterpenic compounds, comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time of flight mass spectrometry detection (GC x GC-ToFMS) was also applied, allowing to identify for the first time in chamomile 8 compounds. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.