ESSENTIAL OIL COMPONENTS OF EXTRACTS OF PLANTS OF THE MENTHA GENUS GROWING IN VARIOUS REGIONS OF SOUTHERN RUSSIA

The component composition of subcritical acetone extracts from five samples of mint plants grown in the south of Russia under different climatic conditions was analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A comparative analysis of the mint extract components revealed that two samples of Mentha piperita (L.), or peppermint, had a similar composition and could be classified as menthonic chemotypes. Growing at an altitude between 1200 and 1800 meters above sea level, one sample of long-leaved mint, Mentha longifolia (L.), contained monoterpene alcohols such as β-linalool and 4-tuyanol, which are valuable for phytotherapy, and was classified as a linalool chemotype. The major components of the long-leaved mint extract, grown at an altitude of only 36 meters above sea level, included dihydrocarvone, 1,8-cineole, and dihydrocarvil acetate. A high content of monoterpene alcohols, such as tuyanol-4 and 1,8-cineol, was found in a sample of spearmint grown in Maykop. This may be of potential interest for practical applications in phyto- and aromatherapy. Using hierarchical cluster analysis, five mint samples were divided into three groups. The results obtained allow us to preliminarily conclude that the formation of the component composition of plants of the mint genus depends on the growing conditions and is not determined by the genome of the species.