COMPOSITION OF OLEORESINS FROM BARK AND CONES OF ABIES-NORDMANNIANA AND PICEA-ORIENTALIS

Fresh and old oleoresin samples from bark and cones of Abies nordmanniana and Picea orientalis were analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The fresh oleoresins from both bark and cones of Caucasian fir were mainly composed of monoterpenes (40.0% and 21.3%, respectively) and resin acids (27,4% and 36.8%). Alpha-Pinene was the dominant constituent of monoterpenes in the bark and cone (21.9% and 17.2%) and abietic acid of the resin acids (11.4% and 19.8%). Pimaric acid, a common resin in softwood resins and oleoresins, was not found in the samples. Sesquiterpenes, resin aldehydes and resin alcohols were minor constituents of the fresh samples. Analysis of the old samples from bark of Caucasian fir presented a completely different composition. The major part of the resin was composed of resin hydrocarbons (34.1%) They were not detected in the fresh samples. The dominant constituent of the old oleoresin was abietadiene (23.0%). The fresh oleoresin samples from both bark and cones of Oriental spruce were mainly composed of resin acids (29.1% and 40.4%) and monoterpenes (28.5% and 17.5%). Abietic acid was the dominant constituent (21.4%) of the cone resin. Pimaric acid was not seen in the fresh samples. DELTA3-Carene was a major constituent (14.1%) in the bark resin, but it was a trace in the cone. Sesquiterpenes, resin aldehydes and resin alcohols were minor constituents of the oleoresins. The old oleoresin sample from bark and cones were almost entirely composed of resin acids (66.2% and 62.4%). Abietic acid was the dominant constituent of the cone (32.2%) and dehydroabietic acid of the bark (18.4%). In addition to common resin acids, both of the old samples contained modified resin acids. The old samples contained also some lignans as minor constituents.