Identification of the components of the essential oil from wild Corsican Daucus carota L. using 13C-NMR spectroscopy

The essential oil of wild Daucus carota L. from Corsica was investigated by GC and 13C‐NMR spectroscopy. In a first part, a commercial sample was repeatedly chromatographed and the analysis of the fractions led to the identification of 69 components. The oil consisted chiefly of phenylpropanoids (45.9%) and monoterpene hydrocarbons (38.6%), with (E)‐methylisoeugenol (33.0%), α‐pinene (24.9%) and elemicin (11.4%) as major components. The second part concerned the analysis of laboratory‐distilled oils obtained from different parts of the plant at three stages of development (prior flowering, full flowering and end of flowering). The chemical composition of the Corsican wild carrot oil varies according to its stage of development. The oil yields, as well as the phenylpropanoid contents, particularly that of (E)‐methylisoeugenol, increase significantly when the umbels ripen. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.