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Essential Oils Chemistry

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Bioactive Essential Oils and Cancer

Abstract

Essential oils are complex mixtures of volatile compounds produced by aromatic plants and extracted by distillation or expression. More than 3000 essential oils are known with about 300 being commercially relevant as perfume, cosmetic, cleaning, food, and pharmaceutical products. The main trade oils (over 1000 t/year) are those extracted from Citrus aurantifolia, Citrus limon, Citrus sinensis, Cymbopogon nardus, Cymbopogon winterianus, Eucalyptus citriodora, Eucalyptus globulus, Lavandula × intermedia, Mentha canadensis, Mentha × gracilis, Mentha × piperita, Ocotea odorifera, Pogostemon cablin, Sassafras albidum and Syzygium aromaticum. A remarkable progress in the development of analytical methods has contributed to a precise and more reliable characterization of essential oils. Volatile compounds of terpenoid origin, primarily monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, have been identified as hydrocarbons and their oxygenated derivatives in the form of alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, esters, ethers, peroxydes, and phenols. Also, non-terpenoid compounds namely phenylpropanoids, fatty acids and their esters and, more rarely, nitrogen- and sulfur-containing compounds are also present. Numerous parameters (physiological, environmental, and genetic factors) influence essential oil composition and in order to ensure the best quality of commercialized oils, specific guidelines have been developed and should be considered.

This chapter attempts to shed light on essential oils chemistry by pointing out biosynthetic aspects, relevant compounds in essential oil composition, and the major global trade oils.

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  1. Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Mónica Zuzarte & Lígia Salgueiro

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  1. Mónica Zuzarte
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  1. Federal University of Paraiba, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil

    Damião Pergentino de Sousa

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Zuzarte, M., Salgueiro, L. (2015). Essential Oils Chemistry. In: de Sousa, D. (eds) Bioactive Essential Oils and Cancer. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19144-7_2

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