Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy Analysis of Aromatic Compounds of Leaves and Peel from Healthy and Viroid-Infected Citron Plants
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Fifteenth IOCV Conference, 2002—Viroids Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy Analysis of Aromatic Compounds of Leaves and Peel from Healthy and Viroid-infected Citron Plants S. A. Vekiari, E. E. Protopapadakis, and P. Papadopoulou ABSTRACT. The aroma profile and the influence of viroid infection on the oil composition of leaves and peel of citron plants were studied. Oil components were separated, identified and quantified by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy. Limonene was one of the main compo- nents in the essential oil of leaves and peel. Viroid infection reduced oil content of leaves and caused pronounced alteration in the oil composition of the peel when compared with leaves. Sig- nificant changes were observed in the concentration of volatile terpene constituents. Aldehydes and esters were found in significantly higher concentration in the oil of healthy fruit peel com- pared with peel from viroid plants. Index words. Citron leaves, citrus peel, Essential oil, Viroid infection, GC-MS analysis. Citron was the first citrus culti- rosis, epinasty of the newly formed vated in the Mediterranean region and developing leaves, curling of the and the island of Crete, and it is leaves and cracking of the lower side considered a basic species and a par- of midvein (2). ent plant in citrus evolution (13). Etrog citron is one of the oldest Improved genetic material has been cultivated citrus and is a host of all created by mutation and introduc- the citrus viroids (CVds). It was ini- tion of foreign isolates into the tially used as an indicator plant for island. CEVd, but today it is used as a gen- Viroids are the smallest agents of eral indicator for citrus viroids. Lota infectious diseases. Citrus may be et al., (12) used the Gas Chromatog- infected by several citrus viroids raphy-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) which include the exocortis and technique to analyze the essential cachexia agents (5, 21). Viroid dis- oil composition of peel and leaves of eases usually originate by acciden- different citron varieties cultivated tal introduction of viroids from wild in Corsica. Limonene and citral plants into susceptible cultivated were the main substances identified plants (1). These diseases appear in in both peel and leaves. nearly all areas where citrus is The aim of this work was to grown, and are transmitted by prop- study the effects of viroid infection agation of infected budwood and by on the profile and composition of the mechanical means, such as pruning essential oil components extracted with contaminated tools (10, 16, 19). from citron leaves and peel and ana- According to Roistacher (16), there lyzed by the GC-MS technique. are several varieties of citron sensi- tive to Citrus exocortis viroid MATERIALS AND METHODS (CEVd) and other citrus viroids. The reaction of different citron to citrus Sampling. Leaves and fruits viroids was initially reported by were collected from 16-yr-old citron Frolich et al. (6), who studied the plants (healthy and viroid infected) symptoms of the disease by inocu- in the Chania region of Crete island. lating various cultivars and clones Tissue was collected around the top with different viroid sources. Symp- of the tree at a height of 1.7 m. toms of viroid infection include chlo- Seedlings trees of cultivar Diamante, 272 Fifteenth IOCV Conference, 2002—Viroids 273 certified genetically by isoenzymatic tion splitter with a split ratio 1/20 analysis, were used to obtain mate- and flame ionization detector (FID). rial free of viruses and viroids (14, The oven temperature was pro- 15). Four isoenzymatic systems, grammed from 50°C (5 min isother- malate deshydrogenase, tetrazolium mal), to 230°C at 4°C/min. The oxidase, glutamate oxaloacetate temperature of the injector and transaminase and esterases, in cor- detector were 200 and 240°C, relation with biometric characteris- respectively. Helium (0.6 ml/min) tics, were applied for the taxonomy was used as a carrier gas. Injection of the citron variety. All the trees volume was 0.2 µl. Chromato- (seedlings) possessed a unique graphic analysis was run in six rep- banding for the four isoenzymatic licates. Standards previously systems. The viroid-infected trees identified as constituents of citron were produced by inoculating some leaves were added to the sample for trees with tissue from an experi- peak assignment based on peak mental tree of Etrog citron, carrying enrichment. The results were calcu- a virulent strain of CEVd. The pres- lated on the basis of an internal ence of CEVd was confirmed by the standard method (octyl acetate as severe reaction obtained in citron internal standard). from 469 field sources and the infec- A Hewlett-Packard P5890 GC tion of Gynura, a selective host of with a split/splitless injection port CEVd (20). The symptoms of CEVd and split ratio 1/100, coupled with a on citron trees were yellow blotch HP5970 Mass Spectrometer system and slight cracking in stems. In gen- (electron impact mode) was used. A eral the trees of Diamante pre- 25 m × 0.2 mm i.d., HP-1 fused silica sented bark mottling without capillary column, 0.2 µm film thick- appreciable dwarfing. The trees had ness was used. The temperature already been infected for 12 yr program was isothermal for 3 min at before the assays. 60°C and then raised to 230°C at Care was taken to collect leaves 5°C/min. The injector temperature of approximately 5-7 mo old, repre- was 200°C and the transfer line sentative of the variety. Samples of temperature was 250°C. The column 10 leaves from each of 10 healthy outlet was inserted directly into the and 10 diseased trees were collected ion source block. Ultrapure helium at different time intervals over a was used as a carrier gas with flow period of greater than 1 yr. The rate 1 ml/min. Injection volume was fruits were collected 3 mo after the 0.2 µl. Identification of components anthesis from the four compass was confirmed by comparison of the points of the trees to minimize posi- experimental retention index and tion variables. Mass Spectrum with that of authen- Essential oil extraction and tic reference standards. analysis. The hydrodistillation The data were subjected to the method with the Clevenger appara- analysis of variance (ANOVA) and tus was used to extract the essential the test of Duncan was performed in oil from leaves and peel. Samples of order to identify significant differ- 150 g were washed, cut and ences at P < 005 between healthy extracted for 3 h (9). Oil samples and diseased citrons. were collected and stored in vials at -18°C until used. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION For gas chromatography analysis (17, 18) a 30 m × 0.32 mm i.d., SE-52 Yield of the essential oil. The capillary column and 0.25 µm film yield of the essential oil was thickness was used. The column was expressed as ml/kg of the fresh installed in a Perkin Elmer Autosys- material (Table 1). Healthy leaves tem GC equipped with a glass injec- yielded higher quantity of essential 274 Fifteenth IOCV Conference, 2002—Viroids TABLE 1 AVERAGE YIELD OF ESSENTIAL OIL, FROM LEAVES AND PEEL OF HEALTHY CITRON PLANTS AND THOSE INFECTED BY EXOCORTIS VIROID Oil Content Viroid-infected Healthy Leaves 3.8 ± 0.2z 8.4 ± 0.7 ay Peels 5.8 ± 0.3 5.9 ± 0.4 a zValues are mean of six samplings expressed as ml/kg fresh weight. yValues horizontally followed by different letters are statistically significant at P < 0.05. oil compared with diseased ones, infected leaves. Significant differ- while no significant differences were ences were also observed in the observed in the quantity of the oil minor components of the essential extracted from fruit peel. It seems oil from leaves such as: the monoter- that these differences are the result pene hydrocarbon δ-3-carene, the of cytological effect on the mesophyll aldehyde decanal, the ester geranyl tissues as a result of viroid infec- propionate, and the sesquiterpene tion. hydrocarbons, β-caryophyllene, ber- Essential oil composition. In gamotene and humulene. this study the main monoterpene CEVd accumulates in mesophyll hydrocarbon was limonene. Other tissues and causes cytological reso- hydrocarbons which were identified lution (3). Although no biological were the monoterpenes α, β-pinene, function of monoterpenes is yet myrcene, δ-3-carene, α-terpinene, known, their penetrating odor prob- and terpinolene. Among the sesquit- ably acts positively in attracting or erpenes caryophyllene, farnasene, repelling insects (7). humulene were the most impor- Peel oil from citron fruits tant. Esters on a quantitative basis, infected with CEVd had relatively account for only a small fraction of high concentrations of terpenes the citrus oil, while ethyl acetate, while aldehydes and esters were linalyl acetate, geranyl acetate are found in lower quantities (Table 3). the components most frequently Significant differences in the α and appeared (Tables 2 and 3). Large β-pinene, (Ζ) β- and (Ε) β-ocimene, amounts of alcoholic components citral, citronellal, neryl and geranyl were also found among the volatile acetate and neryl propionate compo- flavor substances of citrus. However, nents of the essential oil of peel their contribution to the overall fla- among healthy and viroid infected vor and aroma is probably less than citron plants were found. Citral is that of the carbonyl compounds and considered as a key aroma com- terpenes. pound of citrus flavor and its con- The mean value and other data tent is indicative of the quality of for the components of the essential oils. It is of great scientific and tech- oil from leaves from six samplings nological significance in aromatic and six replicates which come from and medicinal chemistry (8).