THE COMPOSITION OF THE ESSENTIAL OIL OF DRIED NIGERIAN GINGER (ZINGIBER OFFICINALE ROSCOE)

The essential oil composition of dried Nigerian ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) was determined by means of gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques. The ginger was hydrodistilled; the oil yield was 2.4% and consisted of 64.4% sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, 6.6% carbonyl compounds, 5.6% alcohols, 2.4% monoterpene hydrocarbons and 1.6% esters. The main compounds were zingiberene (29.5%) and sesquiphellandrene (18.4%). A number of constituents not previously reported in ginger oil were identified. These include 2,6-dimethyl hepten-l-ol, α-gurjunene, linalool oxide, isovaler-aldehyde, 2-pentanone, cadinol, α- and γ-calacorene, eremophyllene, t-muurolol, α-himachallene, α-cubebene acetic acid, pinanol, α-santalene, geranyl propionate, geranoic acid, (E,E)-α-farnesene, n-methyl pyrrole and geranic acid.