Effect of Geographic Locations on Chemical Composition of M. Spicata L.Essential oils from Moroccan Middle-Atlas

摘要

Mentha is one of the most common herbs which have been known for its medicinal and aromatherapeutic properties since ancient time. Mentha spicata L. is among the most used species in Morocco to flavor tea and for industrial and pharmaceutical purposes. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of origin region on yields and chemical composition of M. spicata L. essential oils (EOs). Leaves of spearmint were collected from Meknes and Azrou (Middle-Atlas). The extraction of essential oils was performed by hydro-distillation using Clevenger apparatus and then their chemical composition was identified by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results of chromatographic analyses have shown diverse chemical profiles of studied species. The spearmint EO from Azrou (2.4) presented the higher yield than that from Meknes (1.54). However, both EOs were dominated by carvone and limonene with higher rates of EO from Meknes (74.94ndash;13.17) than that from Azrou (71.56-10.50) respectively. These monoterpenes are considered as interesting molecules that are needed in industrial and pharmaceutical goals.