GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY OF SOME POLYMETHOXYLATED FLAVONES AND THEIR DETERMINATION IN ORANGE PEEL OILS

Separation of 27 polymethoxylated flavones (PMFs) was achieved using gas chromatography with a capillary column coated with OV-1. The procedure was applied to the separation and determination of the most important PMFs contained in three samples of industrial orange peel oils. The relative contents of sinensetin, nobiletin and heptamethoxyflavone range from 19 to 30%, showing that these three PMFs are characteristic of orange peel oils. Tetra-O-methylscutellarein, tangeretin and 3,5,6,7,3',4'-hexametoxyflavone are less abundant in all three samples.