Determination of the chemical composition of the essential oil extracted from the caper berry using techniques of gas chromatography (GC/MS) and HPLC

A sample of the caper plant (Capparis spinosa) was collected from an area in the countryside of Jableh in Lattakia Governorate in Syria, located at an altitude of 350 meters above sea level. The essential oil was extracted from the caper plant using the Clevenger device, where the weight percentage of the extracted essential oil reached 0.08%. The chemical composition of the essential oils was determined using the GC/MS device, gas chromatography associated with mass spectrometry, and HPLC. Three compounds were identified as a result of the HPLC analysis: caffeic acid 15.5%, vanillin 5.5%, and chlorogenic acid 15%. 31 compounds were also identified when the sample was analyzed by GC/MS. It was found that the Eugenol compound is the main compound with a percentage of 12.34%, followed by the compound Lauric acid with a percentage of 7.64%, followed by the compound Geraniol with a percentage of 7.34%, then the compound Palmitic acid with a percentage of 5.08%.