Essential Oil and Glycosidically Bound Volatile Compounds from the Needles of Common Juniper (Juniperus communis L.)

The essential oil was isolated by hydrodistillation and glycosides were extracted with ethyl acetate from the needles of common juniper. The obtained essential oil was fractionated on microcolumn with solvents of different polarity. Ali fractions were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) on two columns with different polarity of the stationary phases. Sixty-three compounds were identified. The main components of juniper needle oil were: α-pinene (16.9%), sabinene (12.1%), terpinene-4-ol (7.7%), β-phellandrene (7.3%), widdrene (6.4%), γ-terpinene (5.9%), β-terpinene (4.3%), α-terpinene (3.8%), and other compounds in smaller quantities. After isolation, final purification of the glycosides and enzymatic hydrolysis, the liberated aglycones were analysed in the same way as fractions of the essential oil. Twenty-two aglycones were identified. The main aglycones were: 3-phenyl-2-propen-1-ol, (32.8%), 2-phenylpropanol (6.0%), thymoquinone (4.6%), 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzaldehyde (4.3%), 3-methyl-2-buten-1-ol (2.8%), 2-phenylethanol (2.8%), 3-phenyl-2-propenal, (2.7%), methyl-3-hydroxybenzoate (2.6%), and p-cymen-8-ol, o-methoxybenzyl alcohol, methyl salycilate, α-methyl-benzyl alcohol, 1-octen-3-ol, and other compounds