Assessment of the terpenic composition of Hedychium coronarium oil from Eastern India

Hedychium coronarium J. koenig (Zingiberaceae) is well known for to its medicinal and aromatic properties because of it terpenic components. The paper aims to characterize the terpenic composition present in the essential oil of Hedychium coronarium J. koenig by two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GCxGC-TOF-MS). A total of 101 terpenic constituents were identified, 53 of which were reported for the first time. On the basis of their chemical structure, the constituents were grouped into four classes: hydrocarbon monoterpenes, oxygenated monoterpenes, sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and oxygenated sesquiterpenes. The identified compounds include 35 alcohols, 34 hydrocarbons, 12 ketones, 7 aldehydes, 7 oxides, 3 ethers and 3 esters. The predominant compounds identified by GCxGC-TOF-MS were eucalyptol, p-cymene and p-menth-1-en-8-ol. A database containing retention indices of terpenoids was created for the bi-dimensional column, thus proving to be a remarkable step for analysis of terpenoids using a two dimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC) system. GCxGC enhanced the separation efficiency of constituents as well as resolved a number of co-eluting components that were unresolved on a one dimensional gas chromatography column. The current research enabled in comprehensive profiling of terpenic composition present in H. coronarium oil, an important initiative that could add to the valuation and bioprospecting potential of H. coronarium as a source of terpenic constituents.