Tagetes Oil Garg and Mehta (1998) characterized three new acyclic monoterpene ketones in a steam-distilled oil of Tagetes minuta. They were 3,7-dimethyl-1-octen-6-one, 3,7-dimethyl-5-hydroxy-1-octen-6-one and 3,7-dimethyl-1,7-dien-6-one.
Larrán et al. (2001) screened a number of oils against the causal fungus of the chalkbrood disease of honeybees. One of the oils screened was T. minuta, produced from plants cultivated in Argentina.
Although this was reported to be a GC/MS study, it is an example of computerized compound characterization without a scientific judgment on the accuracy of information generated. The literature review carried out by this author was incredibly poor. If he had performed a careful examination of the published literature, he would have a greater knowledge about the constituents that have been characterized in the numerous studies. This should have influenced him to examine his own results before placing them in the public domain.
