Constituintes voláteis de espécies de myrtaceae da Amazônia

Abstract

The Myrtaceae family has a distribution in the Americas and Australia, although it can occur in the rest of the world. Many species of this family are cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions because they have edible fruits, such as Psidium guajava (guava), Eugenia uniflora (pitanga), and Myrciaria cauliflora (jaboticaba), or because they provide commercially valuable essential oils, like some varieties of Eucaliptus. The aromatic plants group of the Botany Department of MPEG has been researching the Amazonian odoriferous flora for about 20 years, regarding its economic use. Phytochemical studies and data survey of the following species were performed: Myrcia citrifolia, Myrciaria floribunda, Calycolpus goetheanus, Psidium guajava, Eugenia uniflora, E. cumuni and E. punicifolia. The plants were collected in the states of Pará and Roraima and submitted to a hydrodistillation process to obtain their essential oils. The essential oils were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, allowing the identification of its volatile constituents. The main constituents of M.citrifolia were: a-e b-pinene (18.2%) and a-cadinol (9.1%); of C.goetheanus were: a-pinene (23.9%) and b-caryophyllene (24.5%); of P. guajava were: a-pinene (23.9%) and limonene (21.4%); from E. uniflora were: germacron (32.8%) and curzerene (30%); from Eicumini was: a-pinene (20.8%); from E.punicifolia were: a- and b-pinene (53.9%). Some of these species can be commercially exploited, if a technique similar to that used to exploit species of Eucalyptus is used, through rational cultivation and production of biomass from its aerial parts.