Influence of Geographical Origin on Essential Oil Contents in Curcuma aeruginosa Roxb. Rhizomes in Central Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Curcuma aeruginosa Roxb. rhizome is a traditional herb used in several countries. Depending on
where they are from, Curcuma aeruginosa Roxb. rhizomes can have different amounts of
compounds. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of geographical origin on the
composition of essential oils extracted from the rhizomes of Curcuma aeruginosa Rox throughout
the distribution area in Central Java, Indonesia using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
(GC-MS). The chemometrics of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Squares
Discriminative Analysis (PLS-DA) have been successfully employed for the classification of
samples into different classes. The sand, clay, organic carbon, and yield were variables
contributing significantly to PLS-DA modelling during the relationship among the sample
locations, environmental factors, and micronutrient contents with the variable importance
projection (VIP) score of >1. Curzerenone is considered the most important variable contributing
to PLS-DA modelling for the relationship between the chemical compounds of C. aeruginosa
essential oils (CA-EOs) with the sample locations and soil micronutrients. This study showed that
PCA and PLS-DA can offer a reliable platform for grouping and classifying samples, therefore,
the determination of the variables contributing significantly toward the geographical origins of
samples is essential since these variables affected the contents of CA-EOs. In addition, this
research can help researchers and farmers choose the most suitable soil types to achieve the
maximum yields of CA-EOs.

Keywords: Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, environmental factors, edaphic, C.
aeruginosa, chemometrics.