Aroma Compounds of Fresh Leaves and their Dried Powders in <i>Angelica acutiloba</i> Kitagawa

This study aimed to investigate the aroma compounds in fresh leaves and their dried powders in Angelica acutiloba Kitagawa (yamato-tōki). Essential oils were extracted from the dried powders of leaves in A. acutiloba Kitagawa using a simultaneous distillation extraction (SDE) technique and analyzed using GC/MS. The phthalides in the essential oils were accounted for 41.46%, followed by sesquiterpene hydrocarbonds (19.45%) and monoterpene hydrocarbonds (18.74%). A major component in the oils, detected at 34.95%, was isolated using silica gel column chromatography and determined as (Z)-ligustilide using 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. We also purified (Z)-butylidenephthalide as the minor phthalide. In the oils extracted from fresh leaves using SDE, the monoterpene hydrocarbonds were accounted for 52.69%, followed by phthalides (20.95%) and sesquiterpene hydrocarbonds (10.63%). The most dominant aroma compound identified was γ-terpinene, followed by (Z)-ligustilide, p-cymene and β-caryophyllene using GC/MS. Both oils exhibited a celery-like aroma. It could be revealed that investigations on the composition of related phthalides in Angelica varieties are necessary to clarify their therapeutic effects and mechanisms.