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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Miami, Florida » Subtropical Horticulture Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #409418
Research Project: Mitigation of Invasive Pest Threats to U.S. Subtropical Agriculture

Location: Subtropical Horticulture Research

Title: HPTLC-based fingerprinting: An alternative approach for chemical profiling of Melaleuca essential oils

Author
item Tabanca, Nurhayat
item VÁZQUEZ, AIMÉ - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE)
item KENDRA, PAUL - Retired ARS Employee

Submitted to: American Chemical Society Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/13/2023
Publication Date: 3/20/2024
Citation: Tabanca, N., Vázquez, A., Kendra, P.E. 2024. HPTLC-based fingerprinting: An alternative approach for chemical profiling of Melaleuca essential oils. Abstract. American Chemical Society, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 17-21, 2024.

Interpretive Summary: ABSTRACT ONLY

Technical Abstract: Chemical fingerprints obtained by chromatographic techniques are effective tools that can be used to identify and authenticate essential oils (EOs). Chromatographic fingerprinting using hyphenated methods, such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), is by far the most commonly used tool to identify chemical markers in EOs. However, in addition to GC-MS analysis, high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) fingerprinting also can be used to reveal chemical profiles of EOs. Australian tea tree oil (TTO), derived from leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia (Maiden & Betche) Cheel (Myrtaceae), is an important commercial product due to its high antibacterial attributes. It is commonly found in a wide range of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. The chemical composition of TTOs can vary depending on biomass used from wild or cultivated trees, geographic variations, environmental conditions, and extraction methods. Therefore, the characterization of the chemical profile of EOs, based on their chemical fingerprint, represents an important tool for quality control and authenticity assessment. In this study, a comparative analysis of the chemical constituents of seven TTOs obtained from different commercial suppliers and four other Melaleuca spp. oils (M. cajuputi, two chemotypes of M. quinquenervia, and M. ericifolia) was carried out using GC-MS and HPTLC. Results showed that HPTLC fingerprinting of Melaleuca oils enabled reliable discrimination of TTOs from other Melaleuca spp. oils. Retention factor (Rf) values of specific markers ranged from 0.3 to 0.64 in hexanes: ethyl acetate (v/v) solvent system. The results of this study demonstrate that HPTLC serves as a quick and effective analytical technique for screening selected Melaleuca oils. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were applied to visualize differences among TTO samples and other Melaleuca spp. oils.