Comparative study of the chemical composition and antioxidant activities of the essential oil of Pelargonium graveoiens from the four regions of Morocco

Pelargonium graveoiens (rose-scented pelargonium) is a plant that belongs to the Geraniaceae family native to South Africa. It is recognized for its aroma and essential oil which is widely used in the cosmetic industry, aromatherapy and as a food flavoring agent. It is also known for its antifungal, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic properties. For this, it is interesting to study the chemical composition of the essential oil of Pelargonium graveolens from the four regions of Morocco (Er-Rachidia, Meknes, Rabat, Tetouan) by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and determine the similarities and dissimilarities of the chemical composition of these four essential oils by carrying out an analysis on the one hand in main composition (ACP) and on the other hand, evaluating their antioxidant activities by two methods DPPH and CAT. The results showed that the essential oil of Pelargonium graveoiens (rose-scented pelargonium) from the four regions mainly contains p-Citronellol, geraniol, citronellyl formate, epi-y-eudesmol, geranyl tiglate and linalool. On the other hand, the antioxidant activity of Pelargonium graveolens essential oil by the measured DPPH method showed that the IC50 values of the Meknes region are lower than the IC50 values found in the Er-Rachidia, Tetouan and Rabat regions.