Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the yield, color, and chemical composition of Eugenia uniflora essential oils collected from different regions of the Rio de Janeiro (in situ), and to describe the observed diversity based on statistical analyses. A total of 42 samples were collected, essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation of leaves, with yield expressed as percentage, and analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Descriptive and multivariate statistical analyses were applied for chemical differentiation and classification. Essential oil yields ranged from 0.26% to 3.49%, with the lowest values observed in reddish samples. Seventy-two compounds were detected, of which 49 were identified. Oxygenated sesquiterpenes were the most abundant constituents in the analyzed essential oils, accounting for an average of 69% of the natural product. Cluster analysis revealed three chemical profiles comprising the largest number of samples, a result corroborated by principal component analysis. Nine different chemotypes were identified, most of which were primarily composed of curzerene (1)-a cope rearrangement artifact-and selina-1,3,7(11)-trien-8-one (7). The yield, color, and chemical composition of E. uniflora essential oils varied among the samples analyzed. The identification of multiple chemotypes of E. uniflora highlights the chemical diversity and its potential applicability across various industrial sectors.