Comparison of salep orchid species based on the composition of the volatile compounds of their tubers

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Abstract The objective of this work was to compare salep orchid species based on the composition of the volatile compounds of their tubers. Tuber samples extracted by solid-phase microextraction were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In all studied species, p-cresol was the main volatile compound detected. The highest p-cresol proportion was found in Anacamptis laxiflora (76.31%), followed by Ophrys sphegodes subsp. mammosa (62.72%), Orchis coriophora (55.95%), and Anacamptis pyramidalis (21.19%). The proportions of the other volatile compounds also varied significantly between the evaluated species. The clustering analysis of the species according to their volatile compounds showed that A. laxiflora and O. coriophora were the closest, while A. laxiflora and A. pyramidalis were the most distant.