Composition and Seasonal Variation of Volatile Organic Compounds in Magnolia Fresh Leaves

Abstract

Fresh leaves of four Magnolia species (M. obovata, M. kobus, M. denudata, M. salicifolia) collected from May to October in Ishikawa prefecture were analyzed using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) to determine the composition of volatile compounds and seasonal variations. As a result, caryophyllene, which is bioactive sesquiterpenoids, and those analogs were commonly observed in the four species. α-Asarone was detected in M. salicifolia with a strong peak, and seasonal variation was observed for several volatile compounds. Based on these results, we elucidated the high value of using four Magnolia species fresh leaves.