Rapid GC-MS Characterization of Oleoresin, Turpentine and Rosin Using Tailored Chromatographic Programs

Oleoresin from Pinus spp. consists of turpentine and rosin, whose compositional variability demands reliable analytical methods for quality control and industrial processing. This study provides three rapid methods for qualitative and quantitative analyses of oleoresin, turpentine, and rosin by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) using a single DB-1 column and matrix-specific temperature programs. Oleoresin and rosin were first derivatized using diazomethane, and compounds were identified by elution order, fragmentation patterns, and reference mass spectra. Quantification employed external calibration with α-pinene and abietic acid as representative standards. In P. pinaster oleoresin, the main terpenic compounds were α-pinene (6.67 ± 1.08%), longifolene (2.45 ± 0.20%), and β-caryophyllene (1.71 ± 0.15%), while levopimaric (33.75 ± 2.70%), neoabietic (13.97 ± 1.70%), and abietic acids (12.60 ± 2.90%) predominated among resin acids. P. elliottii rosin contained mainly abietic (45.99 ± 4.82%), isopimaric (16.95 ± 2.55%), and palustric acids (9.74 ± 1.20%), and its turpentine comprised mainly α-pinene (34.16 ± 2.45%) and β-pinene (30.03 ± 1.20%). This unified GC-MS framework, supported by representative calibration standards, enables identification of >95% of compounds in pine matrices. Furthermore, once compound identification has been established through GC-MS, GC coupled with flame ionization detector (GC-FID) can be employed for routine quantitative analysis.