GC‐MS analysis of the essential oils of four tagetes species and the anti‐microbial activity of Tagetes minuta

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Abstract
The chemical composition of essential oils from the flowering plants of four Tagetes species was examined by GC‐MS. Of the species examined only T. minuta L. was rich in β‐ocimene. The other major constituents of this species and of T. tenuifolia Cav. were dihydrotagetone, tagetone, and (E)‐ocimenone. These two species only contained small amounts of (Z)‐ocimenone but, in contrast, the essential oil of T. patula L. contained equal amounts of (Z)‐and (E)‐ocimenone. The oil from T. patula also contained limonene and β‐caryophyllene. The essential oil from T. erecta L. differed largely from the other three species containing mainly limonene, β‐caryophyllene, and piperitone. In agar‐diffusion experiments the essential oil of T. minuta inhibited the multiplication of fungi, Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative micro organisms.