VOLATILES COMPOSITION, PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES, KINETIC STUDY AND ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL OF ENDEMIC ARTEMISIA (ARTEMISIA JUDAICA L.) ESSENTIAL OIL

The present work was conducted to investigate the yield, chemical composition, kinetic study, antioxidant and physicochemical properties of essential oil isolated from the aerial parts of Artemisia judaica harvested from Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. The hydro-distilled essential oil yield was found to be 1.08%. GC-MS analysis confirmed 21 chemical components, representing 98% of the total oil composition. As far as GC-MS volatiles profiling is concerned, (+)-davanone (1) was detected to be the principal component (34.32%) followed by camphor (21.61%). A considerable amount (7.7%) of a blue color imparting compound, chamazulene , was also detected. FT-IR spectrum of the oil also and validated the chemical components identified. Extraction process of A. judaica essential oil was further elucidated through kinetics study, which showed that antioxidant activity was affected in time and concentration dependent manner following second order kinetics. Further, physicochemical properties such as specific gravity, refractive index, acid value, peroxide value and saponification value of the oil were tested and discussed. The findings of this study revealed that endemic species of Artemisia has significant potential for nutra-pharmacetical applications. Key Words: Artemisia judaica, GC-MS, Characterization, Kinetic study, Physicochemical properties, Antioxidant, Essential oils