Essential oil composition of the turpentine tree (Pistacia terebinthus L.) fruits growing wild in Turkey

Constituents of essential oils from fruit samples of the turpentine tree (Pistacia terebinthus L.) collected from fifteen different localities of Turkey on August 2001 were identified by GC–MS. Twenty-eight compounds representing 92.3–100.0% of turpentine fruit oils were identified. The oil yields varied between 0.06% and 0.16%. The highest yield of oil was obtained from fruits of Antalya origin (Akbaş-Serik) (0.16%). α-Pinene (51.3%), limonene (39.0%), p-cymen-8-ol (40.0%) and caryophyllene oxide (51.0%) were found as major components for different localities in Turkey. The predominant constituents in most samples were α-pinene (9.5–51.3%), limonene (tr-39.0%) and caryophyllene oxide (tr-51.5). Except for one collection (Manavgat-Antalya), which contained spathulenol (20.7%) and p-cymen-8-ol (40.0%), all the other samples yielded oils rich in α-pinene and limonene. β-Caryophyllene oxide is the most abundant compound in Hisarönü (İzmir), Alanya (Antalya) and Yayladağ (Hatay) oils. Results confirm the effect of locality on the oil content and composition.