Development of hydro-distillation extraction and macroporous resin enrichment method for GC–MS chemical profiling of volatile components in the dried root of <i>Gentiana dahurica</i> Fisch

The dried root of <i>Gentiana dahurica</i> Fisch. has an intensive flavour, which suggests the presence of volatile compounds. Thus, this study aimed to develop an effective extraction method for GC-MS profiling of volatile compounds of <i>G. dahurica</i>. Hydro-distillation and subsequent resin enrichment (HDRE) was developed and applied to the analysis of <i>G. dahurica</i> in comparison with simultaneous distillation and extraction (SDE), and ultrasonic assisted dichloromethane extraction (uDCM). The major components were azulene (33.83%), 1-hexanoic acid (14.19%) and octanoic acid (11.39%) in the HDRE; octanoic acid (17.24%), nonanoic acid (13.29%) and 2,4-di-t-butylphenol (12.73%) in the SDE; and α-amyrin (25.05%), β-amyrin acetate (15.11%) and β-amyrone (4.61%) in the uDCM. Moreover, the HDRE extract was shown to have certain antimicrobial activity against four bacterial strains. Thus, the HDRE method is a promising sample preparation method for GC-MS chemical profiling of volatile components of the dried roots of medicinal plants.