ASSIGNMENT 5: Volatile Oils

Instructions:
Answer the following questions accurately. 
Questions:
1. By using a table, compare volatile oils with fixed oils. 

FIXED OILS VOLATILE OILS

Both are insoluble to water and are soluble in organic solvents

Both are naturally occurring in plants

Derived from terpenes and their

Esters of fatty acids and glycerin
oxygenated derivatives

Primary sources are leaves, roots, petals

Primary sources are the seeds of plants
or barks

Can saponified to yield ester salts or

Cannot undergo saponification
soaps

These are optically inactive These are optically active

Can also be extracted from some

Does not occur in animals
animals

Does not retain the stain in Stain test

Stains or grease spots remain in Stain due to volatility
Test
Also known as essential or ethereal oils

2. By using a diagram, show the biosynthetic pathway in the formation of volatile

oils. Explain the process.
 Figure a. The biosynthetic pathway of volatile oils

The shikimate pathway is attributed to the production of the aromatic amino

acids tyrosine and phenylalanine, the latter being the precursor of benzenoids
and phenylpropanoids. The pathway starts with the PEP (phosphoenol pyruvate)
and E4P (erythrose-4-phosphate) being converted to chorismite by the action of
shikimic acid and is further acted upon by several more enzymes to yield an end
product of phenylalanine and others.
The methyl-D-erythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway is one of the major
pathways of volatile oil synthesis due to the said oils being derivatives of
terpenes. The process starts off with a pyruvate molecule coming from the
adenosine phosphate derived from the glycolysis of PEP and E4P. It then
undergoes a series of enzymatic processes to yield MEP, further to HMBPP (1-
hydroxy-2-methyl-2-butenyl 4-diphosphate), leading to the synthesis of IPP
(isoprene diphosphate) and its isomer DMAPP (dimethylallyl diphosphate). These
latter two would undergo continuous head-to-tail condensation to form GPP
(geranylgeranyl diphosphate), the precursor of mono and diterpenes. The
DMAPP that does not undergo the above-mentioned process is enzymatically
transformed into hermiterpenes.
The mevalonate (MVA) pathway takes on a relatively similar trend with the
exception of the starting material being acetyl CoA. Several conversions would
be made until the pathway leads to the formation of IPP and DMAPP, but
 instead of condensation, the addition of a larger quantity of IPP leads to the
formation of farnesyl diphosphate (FPP), the precursor of sesquiterpenes.

3. Define the following: 

a. Concrete
- This is the semi-solid wax-like concentrate (a combination of wax, fragrance
and essential oil) left after the solvent extraction of a volatile oil-containing
plant
b. Absolute
- This is the essence left after the vacuum distillation of a concrete-alcohol
mixture; this represents the most concentrated form of fragrance and is
sought after in the perfume industry
c. Resinoid
- Similar to concrete, with the exception of having a resinous botanical source
as the subject of the extraction
d. Pomade
- This refers to the fragrance-saturated fat produced by the process of
enfleurage

References:
Essential Oil Science Education. (n.d.). Concrete, resinoid and absolute.
https://essentialoilscienceeducation.org/concrete-resinoid-and-absolute/
Evans, W. C. (2009). Trease and Evans pharmacognosy (16th ed.). Saunders Ltd.
Khanpara, P. (2018, March 11). Volatile oils by pooja in pharmacognosy. SlideShare.
https://www.slideshare.net/aksharpreetpharmacy/volatileoils-by-pooja-in-
pharmacognosy
Shah, B., & Seth, A. K. (2010). Textbook of pharmacognosy and phytochemistry. Elsevier.
Singh K., Kaloni D., Sehgal K., Pan S., Sarethy I.P. (2020). Essential Oils: An update on
Their biosynthesis and genetic strategies to overcome the production
challenges. In: Swamy M. (eds), Plant-derived Bioactives. Springer, Singapore.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1761-7_2
Tongnuanchan, P., & Benjakul, S. (2014). Essential oils: Extraction, bioactivities, and their
uses for food preservation. Journal of Food Science, 79(7), R1231-R1249.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.12492
Vogt, T. (2010). Phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. Molecular Plant, 3(1), 2-20.
https://doi.org/10.1093/mp/ssp106
Wang, Q., Quan, S., & Xiao, H. (2019). Towards efficient terpenoid biosynthesis:
manipulating IPP and DMAPP supply. Bioresources and Bioprocessing, 6(6).
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40643-019-0242-z