Volatile composition of Italian Thymus capitatus (L.) Hoffmanns. et Link leaves

The composition of the volatile oil from the leaves of Italian Thymus capitatus (L.) Hoffmanns was investigated in detail by a SPME-GC–MS method. Sixty-two compounds were identified; the major aroma constituents were carvacrol (72,8 %), γ-terpinene (6.4 %), p-cymene (2.3 %), β- caryophyllene (3.1 %) and β-linalool (2.1 %). The method developed for the volatile constituent analysis allowed the identification of a large number of sesquiterpenes, not reported previously in thymus oil, including α-guryunene, caryophyllene c, β- and γ-elemene, α-bergamotene, α- and β- himachalene, β-farnesene, α-muurolene, valencene, calamenene, humulene oxide I and II and α- bisabolol.