Seasonal Changes in Essential Oil Constituents of Cystoseira compressa: First Report

Marine macroalgae are well known to release a wide spectrum of volatile organic components, the release of which is affected by environmental factors. This paper aimed to identify the essential oil (EO) compounds of the brown algae Cystoseira compressa collected in the Adriatic Sea monthly, from May until August. EOs were isolated by hydrodistillation using a Clavenger-type apparatus and analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC–MS). One hundred four compounds were identified in the volatile fraction of C. compressa, accounting for 84.37–89.43% of the total oil. Samples from May, June, and July were characterized by a high share of fatty acids (56, 69, and 34% respectively) with palmitic acid being the dominant one, while in the August sample, a high content of alcohols (mainly phytol and oleyl alcohol) was found. Changes in the other minor components, which could be important for the overall aroma and biological activities of the algal samples, have also been noted during the vegetation periods. The results of this paper contribute to studies of algal EOs and present the first report on C. compressa EOs.