Abstract: In the present work, the chemical components of the essential oil from Piper longum L. (EOPL) were quickly identified with an ultra-fast gas chromatography-based electronic nose (GC-E-nose). The scavenging activities of each component of EOPL against 1,1-dipheny1-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals, 2,2’-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate) (ABTS) cation radicals, and hydroxyl radicals were evaluated by GC-E-nose combined with chemical methods without time-consuming and laborious separation of the monomers. The results showed that the main components of EOPL identified by GC-E-nose were germacrene D (26.04%), caryophyllene (13.57%), cis-anetholel (8.87%), and β-bisabolene (7.32%). Among all identified components, cis-anethol, caryophyllene oxide, and D-limonene had the strongest scavenging capacity against DPPH radicals, ABTS cation radicals, and hydroxyl radicals, with scavenging percentages of 78.1%, 87.0%, and 71.6%, respectively. The results of GC-E-nose for essential oil components were 89.7% consisted with those of gas chromatography-mass chromatography (GC-MS), confirming the feasibility of GC-E-nose.

Key words: essential oil from Piper longum L.; ultra-fast gas chromatography-based electronic nose; gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; quick screening; radical scavenging activity