Antioxidant activity and volatile components of Egyptian Artemisia judaica L.

The volatile components of the aerial parts of Artemisia judaica L., grown on the north coast of Egypt, were isolated via hydrodistillation and analysed by GC–MS. The oil was found to contain 25 components. Piperitone (45.0%), trans-ethyl cinnamate (20.8%) and ethyl-3-phenyl propionate (11.0%) were the predominant components, followed by spathulenol (6.27%), cis-ethyl cinnamate (5.64%), 2,6-dimethyl phenole (1.39%) and methyl cinnamate (1.06%). A. judaica volatile oil showed antioxidative activity, determined by thiocyanate and scavenging effect on 1,2 diphenyl picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) methods. Its activity may be due to the presence of 2,6-dimethyl phenol (1.39%) and camphor (0.38%). The Artemisia oil has a characteristic flavour, due to the presence of many components with strong sensory properties at a low threshold, such as trans-ethyl cinnamate (20.8%) and thus could be suitable for using as antioxidant and flavouring agent in the food industry.