Comparative Study of Chemical Composition of Artemisia Annua Essential Oil Growing Wild in Western Cameroon and Luxembourg by μ -CTE/TD/GC/MS

Abstract

The composition of essential oils of Artemisia annua from seven localities of West Cameroon and from Luxembourg were determined. The essential oils were extracted by micro-chamber thermal extractor (μ-CTE) and analyzed by Thermal Desorption plus Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrum (TD/GC/MS). According to the results obtained in this study, artemisia ketone was present only in the samples from Luxembourg. Limonene, eucalyptol and copaene were also found to be present in higher concentration in the Luxembourg samples while various localities of Cameroon were found to be richer in camphor and menthol. Camphor was the major compound among the thirteen identified and quantified from the extracts of both countries even though its yield was>60% in the Cameroon samples and 35.67% in that of Luxembourg. Climatic and culture conditions could be responsible for the variation in chemical composition of the samples studied. This work was carried out in an accredited laboratory (ISO 17025) by using validated method.