VOLATILE COMPOUNDS ISOLATED FROM EDIBLE KOREAN CHAMCHWI (ASTER-SCABER THUNB)

The volatile concentrate obtained from the edible Korean chamchwi plant (Aster scaber Thunb) by a distillation-extraction system was separated into hydrocarbon and oxygen-containing fractions, and the latter was further separated into eight subfractions by silica gel column chromatography. Gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) were utilized to identify 119 volatile compounds in the fractions. The volatile compounds included 55 hydrocarbons, 37 alcohols, 11 aldehydes, 5 oxides, 4 esters, 4 ketones, 2 acids, and 1 phenol. Myrcene, a monoterpene hydrocarbon, was the most abundant volatile compound identified in chamchwi (18.80%). Chamchwi oil was found to possess a woody or herbaceous aroma following sensory evaluation of each fraction and individual volatile component using a GC-sniff apparatus.