Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Artemisia argyi Essential Oil and Hydrolate
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Dear authors,
I have thoroughly read your manuscript on the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of Artemisia argyi essential oils and hydrolates. Although this manuscript is quite well written and scientifically sound, there are some minor issues and problems regarding methodology and presentation that prevent me from accepting it as is.
1. Table 1 and Figure 1. Compound with RI 1211 - it is spelled "vebenone". I suspect that it should be "verbenone."
2. Material and Methods section. Paragraph 2.5. Antioxidant activity. Lines 110, 115, 120 and 130 bring information about extracts rather than essential oils or hydrolate samples. Please consider rewording. Also, in line 110 there is a word "color16" whose meaning is unclear.
3. Results section. Paragraphs 3.2. and 3.3. have the same title. Considering that paragraph 3.2. contains the composition of hydrolates and paragraph 3.3. contains the composition of volatile fractions analyzed by SPME, please consider a different title for 3.3. instead of "hydrolates".
4. Table 3. SPME fingerprint of essential oil sample EO4 is missing. Also, the information on this sample has completely disappeared from your manuscript from this point on. Please explain what happened to it.
5. Paragraph 3.4. Antioxidant activities (part 1). In line 203. it says "dilutes." I think it should be written "diluted". In this paragraph you have also introduced new abbreviations, such as HY1, 2, 5 and 6. I suspect that these abbreviations refer to H1, 2, 5 and 6. Finally, there is an empty square bracket in line 210 with no clear function.
6. Paragraph 3.4. Antioxidant activities (part 2). It is written that you took the sample EO6 (essential oil + hexane) directly from the distillation apparatus, so the true dilution could not be measured.
In my opinion, but not mandatory, due to the low yield of essential oil and the impossibility to determine the exact dilution, you could have also omitted the EO6 and H6 samples from the antioxidant activity test and explained this in the previous paragraphs where appropriate.
Author Response
- Table 1 and Figure 1.
Compound with RI 1211 - it is spelled "vebenone". I suspect that it should be "verbenone."
Corrected to verbenone
- Material and Methods section.
Paragraph 2.5. Antioxidant activity. Lines 110, 115, 120 and 130 bring information about extracts rather than essential oils or hydrolate samples. Please consider rewording. Also, in line 110 there is a word "color16" whose meaning is unclear.
In lines 110, 115, 120 and 130 extracts has been replaced by essential oils and extracts
In color16: 16 deleted
- Results section.
Paragraphs 3.2. and 3.3. have the same title. Considering that paragraph 3.2. contains the composition of hydrolates and paragraph 3.3. contains the composition of volatile fractions analyzed by SPME, please consider a different title for 3.3. instead of "hydrolates".
New title for 3.3: Volatiles analyzed by SPME
- Table 3.
SPME fingerprint of essential oil sample EO4 is missing. Also, the information on this sample has completely disappeared from your manuscript from this point on. Please explain what happened to it.
In the case of EO4 there could not be recovered enough sample to carry out the final SPME analysis
- Paragraph 3.4. Antioxidant activities (part 1).
In line 203. It says "dilutes." I think it should be written "diluted". In this paragraph you have also introduced new abbreviations, such asHY1, 2, 5 and 6. I suspect that these abbreviations refer to H1,2, 5 and 6. Finally, there is an empty square bracket in line 210with no clear function.
Line 203: dilutes changed to diluted
HY1,2,5, 6 changed to H1, 2, 5, 6
Empty square bracket was deleted
- Paragraph 3.4. Antioxidant activities (part 2).
It is written that you took the sample EO6 (essential oil + hexane) directly from the distillation apparatus, so the true dilution could not be measured.
In my opinion, but not mandatory, due to the low yield of essential oil and the impossibility to determine the exact dilution, you could have also omitted the EO6 and H6 samples from the antioxidant activity test and explained this in the previous paragraphs where appropriate.
I prefer to keep EO6 and H6. Although the exact dilution is not known, the amount of starting material is given.
Reviewer 2 Report
The manuscript presents an original, inetersting scientific work. The work presents an original contributions in the field of essential oil with antioxidant activity, especially.
In my opinion, the maniscript can be published after minor correction.
All correction are indicated in the manuscript.
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
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Author Response
All corrections as marked in the pdf by the referee have been carried out
Reviewer 3 Report
The authors attempt to investigate the Austria essential oils and the respective hydrolates of Artemisia argyi. The metabolite level of Artemisia argyi was measured by GC-MS method. Moreover, antioxidant activities of essential oils and hydrolates compounds were analyzed in the DPPH and FRAP assays. Overall, the manuscript ideas appear justified. The manuscript is also well organized. I find the paper quite good. The listed are some comments regarding the submitted manuscript.
Line 18-19: In the abstract: “Essential oils and hydrolates showed some antioxidant activities in the DPPH and FRAP assays”. This is very short and general results. Please provide it in more detail.
Line 34: diseases. [3]. → diseases [3].
Line 37: Artemisia argyi → A. argyi
Line 80-81: 220°C → 220 °C
Line 136, 139: What is TPTZ?
Line 162, Table 1 and Line 182, Table 2: It is great if the manuscript provides the data of Mass spectrum in the table.
Line 220, In the discussion: What is the compound showed the highest antioxidant activities?
Author Response
Line 18-19: In the abstract: “Essential oils and hydrolates showed some antioxidant activities in the DPPH and FRAP assays”. This is very short and general results. Please provide it in more detail.
A sentence mentioning the measured activities has been added
Line 34: diseases. [3]. → diseases [3].
corrected
Line 37: Artemisia argyi → A. argyi
corrected
Line 80-81: 220°C → 220 °C
corrected
Line 136, 139: What is TPTZ?
Abbreviation explained
Line 162, Table 1 and Line 182, Table 2: It is great if the manuscript provides the data of Mass spectrum in the table.
The information of the MS has been added
Line 220, In the discussion: What is the compound showed the highest antioxidant activities?
Antioxidant activity of individual compounds could not be tested in this study.
