Chemometrics based analysis of the essential oil composition, phenolic compounds and antibacterial potency of aerial parts of Grammosciadium platycarpum populations.

Grammosciadium platycarpum Boiss. & Hausskn (Family 'Apiaceae') is a crop rich in essential oil and widely used in food and perfume industries. This study aimed to investigate the diversity of phytochemical traits and antimicrobial potency in G. platycarpum Boiss. & Hausskn populations collected from fourteen geographical regions in Iran. The aim was to identify the compounds of the essential oil and extract of the aerial parts, to investigate its antimicrobial properties, and to select the best population for domestication, cultivation and future breeding programs. The aerial parts of the plant were used to extract and determine the content and constituents of the essential oil. The essential oil content (EOC) exhibited a range from 0.09 to 0.46%. TAK population showed the maximum and QAS population revealed the minimum EOC. Based on GC-MS and GC analysis, 91.63 to 98.50% of the essential compounds of different populations of G. platycarpum Boiss. & Hausskn were identified. The main chemical groups identified in the essential oil include hydrocarbon monoterpenes (22.79-46.15%), oxygenated monoterpenes (0.87-31.05%), hydrocarbon sesquiterpenes (25.50-61.04%) and oxygenated sesquiterpenes (5.75-19.52%). Based on the results, (Z, E)-α-Farnesene (13.29-53.71%), linalool (0.44-30.56%), limonene (5.84-31.14%), α-Farnesene (0.71-22.39%), β-pinene (5.10-18.48%), and Caryophyllene (2.95-17.87%) were the major compounds of the essential oil. Chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, and rutin were detected as the major phenolic compounds using HPLC. The essential oil of ABH, JOL and GAR populations as well as the extracts of MAG, OSH and JOL populations showed great antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus. The high diversity observed among different populations of G. platycarpum Boiss. & Hausskn provides good potential for selecting the best populations and using them in domestication projects, cultivation, and breeding programs.