Main components of the essential oil from leaves, peel, and pulp of the Mexican autochthonous avocado (P. americana var. drymifolia, Schltdl. & Cham.)

Abstract

In this paper, the extraction and analysis of the volatile compounds of the leaves, peel, and pulp of Persea Americana var. drymifolia (avocado^[1]) are presented. The essential oils, EO, from these parts of the plant and fruit were extracted by hydrodistillation and their composition was determined through a gas chromatography coupled with a mass spectroscopy. The results showed EO yields of 1.18±0.24, 0.74±0.05, and 0.28±0.17% (db) for the leaf, peel, and pulp, respectively. The leaves, peel, and pulp volatile compounds constituting their flavor and aroma; were identified: 20, 31, and 31 compounds, respectively. The main compounds were benzene derivatives: 86.75, 73.08, and 60.24%; terpene derivatives: 6.51, 21.38, and 36.51% in the leaf, peel, and pulp Eos, respectively. Individually, the highest contents were estragole, ledene oxide (II), aromadendrene, β-pinene, methyleugenol, and benzaldehyde, 4-methoxy-, among others. The toxicological characteristics of the identified majority volatile components, the bioactivation of food-borne genotoxic carcinogens, and the toxicity risks involved in the consumption of the majority volatile component, estragole, found in the EOs of autochthonous avocado peel and pulp were discussed.

^[1] Avocado, a word of Nahuatl origin, ahuacatl, fruit of the avocado. A tree of America, of the laurel family, eight to ten meters tall, with alternate, leathery, evergreen leaves, dioecious flowers and edible fruit (https://dle.rae.es/aguacate?m=form)