Study of the chemical composition of the essential oil extracted from the leaves of the strawberry tree (Arbutus andrachne L.) using GC-MS from the Hauran al-Boudi site in Jableh, Latakia

Abstract

The evergreen strawberry tree (Arbutus andrachne L.) grows naturally in the Mediterranean basin and belongs to the Ericaceae family, which is part of the Ericales order, a group of many medicinal plants. Due to its medicinal, environmental, nutritional, and ornamental importance, this wild plant, found on the Syrian coast, was studied. Leaves were collected from the Hauran al-Boudi site in Jableh, Latakia Governorate, during May 2024. The essential oil was obtained from the leaves of the strawberry tree
 (Arbutus andrachne L.) using hydrodistillation with a Clevenger apparatus.

The chemical compounds present in the essential oil were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The analysis results showed that the essential oil contains 49 chemical compounds, representing (98.2%) of the total essential oil. The main chemical compounds and their percentages were as follows: [Benzenepropanoic acid, 3,5-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-hydroxy-, octadecyl ester (13.5%), 1-Docosene (7.6%), Octadecane, 1-(ethenyloxy)- (7.6%), 1-Heptadecene (7.2%), and Phytol (5.9%)]. The percentages of the remaining compounds ranged from 0.1% to 4.9%. The results of this study indicate that the components of the essential oil of strawberry leaves in Syria differ from the components of the essential oil in different environments. This is attributed to the difference in species and the different environmental conditions in which this plant grows.