Extraction of kewda (Pandanus fascicularis Lam.) flowers with hexane: composition of concrete, absolute and wax

Abstract

Extraction of male spadices of kewda (Pandanus fascicularis Lam.) flowers with hexane furnished a waxy extract, the so-called 'concrete'. Treatment of the extract with methanol gave a reddish oily residue ('absolute') with a smell strongly reminiscent of the aroma of kewda flowers. Concrete, absolute and separated waxes were analysed by GC and GC-MS. The methanol-soluble portion contains considerable quantities of fatty acids and their methyl esters, which function as a fixative for the volatile fragrant components of the extracts. While the recoveries of the oxygenated compounds terpinen-4-ol and alpha-terpineol are less than the amounts usually obtained through hydrodistillation, the major component, 2-phenyl ethyl methyl ether, and non-polar compounds, alpha-thujene, sabinene and its hydrate, have been obtained in larger amounts. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.