Solid-phase microextraction of volatile components from natural grassland plants.

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Plant Science
• Food Science

Background:

• Terpenoids are key volatile compounds in plants, influencing aroma and potentially acting as biomarkers.
• Natural grasslands harbor diverse plant species with unique volatile profiles.
• Food traceability is crucial for quality control and consumer trust.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the volatile components of nine plant species from Auvergne grasslands.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of static headspace solid-phase microextraction (SHS-SPME) for plant volatile analysis.
• To explore the potential of plant terpenes in linking dairy products to their pasture origins.

Main Methods:

• High-resolution gas-phase chromatography and mass spectrometry (HRGC-MS) were employed.
• Static headspace solid-phase microextraction (SHS-SPME) with a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) phase was used for sample preparation.
• Analysis focused on terpenoid hydrocarbons, alcohols, cyclic ethers, and esters.

Main Results:

• SHS-SPME enabled consistent analysis across diverse plant compositions.
• Numerous volatile terpenoids were identified in the analyzed plants.
• Four species (Meum athamanticum, Pimpinella saxifraga, Achillea millefolium, Thymus pulegioides) exhibited over 60 volatile components each.
• High concentrations of certain terpenes were detected.

Conclusions:

• SHS-SPME is a rapid and effective method for characterizing plant volatile fractions.
• The identified terpenes may serve as valuable markers for food traceability.
• This research supports linking dairy products to specific grazing pastures through chemical profiling.