The composition of volatile fraction from overground parts and roots of Cichorium intybus L. has been studied. The plants were collected in five different locations of Lithuania in 2007 during flowering stage. Volatile compounds were obtained by hydrodistillation of dried material and analysed by GC/MS. Octane, n-nonadecane, pentadecanone, hexadecane and a tentatively identified compound (pentenyl salicilate?) have been found as principal components among all volatile constituents. The amounts of octane and the tentatively identified compound were significantly higher in roots (34.3–69.8% and 4.8–22.7%, respectively) than in overground parts of the chicory (8.0–25.6% and 0–0.9%, respectively). An opposite relation was observed for nonadecane, its content being higher in the aerial parts (5.1–46.9%) than in roots (0.3–3.9%). Aliphatic compounds and their derivatives comprised the main fraction (63.2–76.9% and 64.1–81.3%, respectively in the aerial parts and roots), while terpenoids were minor constituents. Thirty and twenty-eight identified compounds comprised 75.2–84.7% and 83.4–95.1% of the total content in the aerial parts and roots, respectively.

Keywords: Cichorium intybus, Asteraceae, secondary metabolites, aliphatic compounds, sesquiterpenes