Extraction and Identification of Volatile Organic Compounds Emitted by Fragrant Flowers of Three Tillandsia Species by HS-SPME/GC-MS

• Published in: Metabolites Vol. 11; no. 9; p. 594
• Main Authors: Lo, Mame-Marietou, Benfodda, Zohra, Bénimélis, David, Fontaine, Jean-Xavier, Molinié, Roland, Meffre, Patrick
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 02.09.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Analytical chemistry; Biochemistry; Biochemistry, Molecular Biology; Botanics; Chemical Sciences; Epiphytes; Fatty acids; Flowers; Flowers & plants; Gas chromatography; gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS); Headspace; headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME); Life Sciences; Mass spectroscopy; Methods; Molecular weight; Monoterpenes; Organic compounds; Phenylpropanoids; Pollination; Principal components analysis; Sesquiterpenes; Solid phase methods; Solvent extraction processes; Species; Tephritomyia caliginosa; Tillandsia; Tillandsia caliginosa; Tillandsia crocata; Tillandsia xiphioides; Vegetal Biology; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds; volatile organic compounds (VOCs); Tillandsia caliginosa; Terpenoids; Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS); Volatile organic compounds (VOCs); Tillandsia xiphioides; Headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME); Phenylpropanoids; Heatmap; PCA analysis; Tillandsia crocata
• DOI: 10.3390/metabo11090594
• ISSN: 2218-1989

Numerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with a large chemical diversity are emitted by plant flowers. They play an important role in the ecology of plants, such as pollination, defense, adaptation to their environment, and communication with other organisms. The Tillandsia genus belongs to the Bromeliaceae family, and most of them are epiphytes. The aromatic profile of the Tillandsia genus is scarcely described. In this study, we use the headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method developed in our laboratory to explore the chemical diversity of the VOCs of fragrant flowers of three species of the genus Tillandsia. We were able to identify, for the first time, 66 volatile compounds (monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, phenylpropanoids, and other compounds). We identified 30 compounds in T. xiphioides, 47 compounds in T. crocata, and 43 compounds in T. caliginosa. Only seven compounds are present in all the species studied. Comparison of the volatile compounds profiles by principal component analysis (PCA) between T. xiphoides, T. crocata, and T. caliginosa species showed a clear difference in the floral emissions of the studied species. Moreover, floral VOCs profiles allowed to differentiate two forms of T. xiphioides and of T. crocata.