Patterns in Volatile Emission of Different Aerial Parts of Caper (Capparis spinosa L.)

We analyzed the spontaneous volatile emission of different aerial parts of the caper (Capparis spinosa L.) by HS-SPME-GC/MS. We identified 178 different compounds of which, in different proportions based on the sample type, the main ones were (E)-β-ocimene, methyl benzoate, linalool, β-caryophyllene, α-guaiene, germacrene D, bicyclogermacrene, germacrene B, (E)-nerolidol, isopropyl tetradecanoate, and hexahydrofarnesyl acetone. The multivariate statistical analyses seem to point out that the parameter leading the emission patterns is the function of the analyzed sample; the flower samples showed differences in the emission profile between their fertile and sterile portions and between the other parts of the plant. The green parts emission profiles group together in a cluster and are different from those of seeds and fruits. We also hydrodistilled fully bloomed caper flowers, whose volatile oil showed significant differences in the composition from those of other parts of the plant reported.