A Comparison of Techniques for Sampling of Plant Volatiles in Four Plant Varieties

In this study, volatiles were collected from the headspace around plants for subsequent determination by GC/MS. Passive air sampling was performed using Thin Film Solid Phase Microextraction (TF-SPME) devices coated with divinylbenzene/polydimethylsiloxane (DVB/PDMS) as well as with the GERSTEL Twister® coated with PDMS. Active air sampling was performed onto thermal desorption tubes filled with PDMS foam and Tenax® TA, respectively. Violet star petunias, oakleaf hydrangeas, citronella, and lemon thyme plants were used for this study. Overall, passive sampling with the TF-SPME device covered a broad range of plant volatiles and with lower detection limits compared to the other techniques but required a longer sampling time.