GC-MS ANALYSIS AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF THE ESSENTIAL OIL OF TRUNK EXUDATES OF Pistacia atlantica var. mutica

The genus Pistacia L. consists of 11 species, most of which are known to produce oleoresin. There are three kinds of pistachio in Iran, including P. vera, P. atlantica, and P. khinjuk. Four subspecies or varieties have been identified for P. atlantica: cabulica, kurdica, mutica, and atlantica [1]. P. atlantica var. mutica is native to a number of temperate countries in Asia. In Iran, this plant grows in the central, western, and eastern regions. The oleoresin of P. atlantica var. mutica, known as “Turk terebinth gum, ” is used to make chewing gum in Iran. Mastic gum has been used in traditional medicine for various gastrointestinal disorders like gastralgia, dyspepsia, and peptic ulcer. Mastic gum has been reported to possess considerable in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activity. The total mastic extract without polymer might be effective in reducing Helicobacter pylori colonization as well as in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. This plant has also been used traditionally as an antiseptic and as a mouth freshener constituent 2. The essential oil of P. atlantica var. mutica has also potential application as an antimicrobial agent in edible films [2, 3]. The objectives of this study were to report the GC-MS analysis as well as the antibacterial activity of the essential oil of the trunk exudate from Pistacia atlantica var. mutica in order to evaluate its potential application as a natural food preservative. GC-MS analysis has led to the identification of 21 components, listed in Table 1, representing 98.77 % of total compounds. The major constituents of the essential oil of mastic gum were -pinene (54.97%), myrcene (11.44%), and limonene (10.08%). A high content of -pinene was also found in the essential oil extracted from the gum of P. atlantica var. mutica [2]