scholarly journals Distillation Time Changes Oregano Essential Oil Yields and Composition but Not the Antioxidant or Antimicrobial Activities

HortScience ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 777-784 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valtcho D. Zheljazkov ◽  
Tess Astatkie ◽  
Vicki Schlegel

Oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) is an important medicinal, culinary, and essential oil plant. Oregano essential oil is extracted from either leaves or shoots through steam distillation. Researchers and industry in various countries reported different distillation times (DTs) for oregano; however, there are no reports on optimum DT. This study evaluated the effect of DT (1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, 240, 360 min) on essential oil yield, composition, and antioxidant activity of the oregano essential oil. In general, the concentration of the low boiling essential oil constituents (alpha-thujene, alpha-pinene, camphene, l-octen-3-ol, myrcene, alpha-terpinene, paracymene, beta-phellandrene/limonene, gamma-terpinene, cis-sabinene hydrate, terpinolene) were highest at the shortest DT (1.25 or 2.5 min), reduced with increasing DT up to 40 min, and then stayed the same. However, the concentration of the major oil constituent, carvacrol, was lowest at the shortest DT of 1.25 min (18%) and increased steadily with increasing DT up to 40 min, where it leveled at 80% to 82%. The concentration of other higher boiling constituents (borneol, 4-terpineol, beta-bisabolene, beta-caryophylenne) was maximum at 5 to 20 min DT. Maximum yield of the low boiling constituents was achieved at relatively short DT, at ≈20 min DT, and peaked again at 240 min DT. Maximum yields of alpha-terpinene, beta-phellandrene/limonene, and gamma-terpinene were reached at 240 min DT. Maximum yields of paracymene cis-sabinene hydrate, terpinolene, and transsabinene hydrate were also achieved at 240 min DT, but yields at 20 min DT were not different. Yields of borneol, 4-terpinenol, carvacrol, beta-caryophyllene, and beta-bisabolene also were highest at 240 min DT. Distillation time at 20, 80, or 360 min did not alter antioxidant or antimicrobial activity of oregano oil. The relationship between the concentration and yield of the constituents with DT was adequately modeled by the asymptotic and Michaelis-Menten nonlinear regression models, respectively. Results demonstrated that 1) DT can be used to obtain oregano essential oil with differential composition; 2) maximum essential oil yield of steam-distilled oregano leaves could be obtained at 240 min DT; and 3) reports on oregano essential oil yield and composition using different DTs may not be comparable. Results from this study will aid in comparing published reports on oregano essential oil that used different lengths of DT.

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Wu ◽  
Jilie Li ◽  
Yuan Jia ◽  
Zhihong Xiao ◽  
Peiwang Li ◽  
...  

To improve essential oil quality, especially to reserve the thermal instability of compounds, supercritical CO2 extraction (SFE) was applied to recover essential oil from Cymbopogon citronella leaves. A response surface methodology was applied to optimize the extraction process. The highest essential oil yield was predicted at extraction time 120  min, extraction pressure 25  MPa, extraction temperature 35°C, and CO2 flow 18  L/h for the SFE processing. Under these experimental conditions, the mean essential oil yield is 4.40%. In addition, the chemical compositions of SFE were compared with those obtained by hydrodistillation extraction (HD). There were 41 compounds obtained of SFE, while 35 compounds of HD. Alcohols and aldehydes were the main compositions in the essential oils. Furthermore, the antioxidant activities and antimicrobial of essential oils obtained by HD and the evaluated condition of SFE were compared. Results showed that the antioxidant activities of SFE oil are better than those of HD. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined by the microdilution method. Essential oil obtained from SFE and HD exhibited a significant antimicrobial activity against all tested microorganisms. It is confirmed that the SFE method can be an alternative processing method to extract essential oils from Cymbopogon citronella leaves.


2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1400900 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime Usano-Alemany ◽  
Jesús Palá-Paúl ◽  
Manuel Santa-Cruz Rodríguez ◽  
David Herraiz-Peñalver

The amount and chemical composition of essential oils are crucial for the modulation of the flavor, scent and therapeutic properties of aromatic and medicinal plants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of phenology and weather conditions on the essential oil yield obtained from the aerial parts of Salvia lavandulifolia Vahl. Besides, we tried to carry out an approach to the chemical composition at the time of full bloom. Essential oil production of several accessions was monitored throughout the whole phenological cycle, both, at the original location growing wild and at the experimental plot as cultivated plants. Local pedoclimatic conditions seem to be crucial for the plant essential oil production. Our results showed high conditioning rates from both yearly climatic conditions and developmental stage of the plants. Maximum yield production was reported at the full seed maturation stage (average 1.74%) and after a slight dry period (average 2.16%). Phytochemical differences were maintained when plants were forced to grow under common pedoclimatic conditions. Thereby, essential oil analysis showed some populations formed by clearly distinct individuals while others had more homogenous plants. Compounds such α-pinene, β-pinene + myrcene, limonene, 1,8-cineol, camphor and β-caryophyllene were the main compounds of the essential oils of S. lavandulifolia.


HortScience ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 48 (10) ◽  
pp. 1288-1292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valtcho D. Zheljazkov ◽  
Tess Astatkie ◽  
Thomas Horgan ◽  
Vicki Schlegel ◽  
Xavier Simonnet

Sweet sagewort, also known as sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua L.), contains essential oil and other natural products. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of eight different distillation times (DTs; 1.25 minutes, 2.5 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 40 minutes, 80 minutes, and 160 minutes) on A. annua essential oil and its antioxidant capacity. Highest essential oil yield was achieved at 160-minute DT. The concentration of camphor (8.7% to 50% in the oil) was highest at the shorter DT and reached a minimum at 160-minute DT. The concentration of borneol showed a similar trend as the concentration of camphor. The concentrations of some constituents in the oil were highest at 2.5-minute DT (alpha-pinene and camphene), at 10 minutes (paracymene), at 20 minutes (beta-chamigrene and gamma-himachalene), at 80 minutes [transmuurola-4(15),5-diene and spathulenol], at 80- to 160-minute DT (caryophylene oxide and cis-cadin-4-en-ol), or at 160-minute DT (beta-caryophyllene, transbeta-farnesene, and germacrene-D). The yield of individual constituents reached maximum at 20- to 160-minute DT (camphor) at 80- to 160-minute DT [paracymene, borneol, transmuurola-4(15),5-diene, and spathulenol], or at 160-minute DT (for the rest of the oil constituents). DT can be used to attain A. annua essential oil with differential and possibly targeted specific chemical profile. The highest antioxidant capacity of the oil was obtained at 20-minute DT and the lowest from the oil in the 5-minute DT. This study suggests that literature reports on essential oil content and composition of A. annua could be compared only if the essential oil was extracted at similar DTs. Therefore, DT must be reported when reporting data on essential oil content and composition of A. annua.


HortScience ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 785-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valtcho D. Zheljazkov ◽  
Tess Astatkie ◽  
Vicki Schlegel

This study evaluated the effect of distillation time (DT; 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, 240, and 360 min) on essential oil yield, composition, and the antioxidant activity of ponderosa pine essential oil. Pine essential oil yield increased with length of the DT and reached maximum at 160 min DT. The major oil constituents were alpha-pinene and beta-pinene, ranging from 17% to 40% and from 21% to 29%, respectively, of the total oil. Overall, the concentration of alpha-pinene and beta-pinene was high at the initial DT (5–20 min) and decreased with increasing DT. The concentration of myrcene (range, 0.9% to 1.5%) was lowest at 5 min DT, then increased at 10 min DT, and did not change with longer DT. Overall, the concentrations of most other constituents (delta-3-carene, limonene, cis-ocimene, alpha-terpinyl acetate, germacrene-D, alpha-muurolene, gamma-cadinene, delta-cadinene, and germacrene-D-4-ol) were low at the initial DT and increased with increasing DT. Total yields (a function of oil yield and the concentration of individual constituents) of all constituents were generally the lowest at 5 min DT, increased with increasing DT, and reached maximum at 160 min DT. The antioxidant capacity of the pine oil in this study varied between 7.0 and 14.5 μmole Trolox/g and was unaffected by DT. This study demonstrated that DT can significantly modify the essential oil yield and composition of ponderosa pine needles. Furthermore, DT could be used to obtain pine oil with targeted chemical profiles. This report can also be used as a reference point for comparing literature reports, in which different DTs are used to extract essential oil of ponderosa pine.


HortScience ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 643-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valtcho D. Zheljazkov ◽  
Tess Astatkie

Japanese cornmint (Mentha canadensis L.) is a major essential oil crop grown in Asia, South America, and to a limited extent in eastern Europe. Japanese cornmint oil is the only commercially viable source for crystalline menthol. We hypothesized that the length of the distillation time (DT) will have an effect on Japanese cornmint essential oil content and composition. Therefore, the objective was to evaluate the effect of eight DTs (1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 min) on essential oil content and composition. The essential oil content (0.43% to 1.06% range) reached maximum at 10 min DT; further increase in DT did not significantly increase essential oil content. The concentrations of alpha-pinene (0.14% to 0.76% range), beta-pinene (0.23–0.81), 3-octanal (0.19–0.34), limonene (0.69% to 1.53%), eucalyptol (0.06% to 0.12%), isopulegone (0.42% to 0.56%), and isomenthone (4.4% to 5.7%) were highest at 1.25 to 5 min DT and generally decreased to their respective minimums at 160 min DT. The concentration of menthone (4.3% to 6.3%) was highest at 1.25 min DT, decreased at 2.5 min, and was lowest at 10 to 160 min DT. The concentration of piperitone (0.98% to 1.27%) was lowest at 1.25 min DT and higher at 5 to 40 min DT compared with other DTs. The concentration of menthol (74% to 79%) was low at 1.25 min, then increased at 10 to 80 min DT, and reached a maximum at 160 min DT. Generally, the yield of most individual essential oil constituents was lower at 1.25 min DT relative to the other DT and reached maximum at 10 to 20 min DT. The yield of menthol was low at 1.25 to 2.5 min DT and rose at 5 min to 160 min DT. The results suggest that different DTs can be used to maximize recovery of certain constituents. Also, the results demonstrated that there are no oil yield gains after 20 min DT, which is much lower than the usual distillation time of 60 min or more. This study can be used as a reference when comparing reports in which different DTs were used.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Huimin Zhang ◽  
Hongguang Yan ◽  
Quan Li ◽  
Hui Lin ◽  
Xiaopeng Wen

AbstractThe floral fragrance of plants is an important indicator in their evaluation. The aroma of sweet cherry flowers is mainly derived from their essential oil. In this study, based on the results of a single-factor experiment, a Box–Behnken design was adopted for ultrasound- and microwave-assisted extraction of essential oil from sweet cherry flowers of the Brooks cultivar. With the objective of extracting the maximum essential oil yield (w/w), the optimal extraction process conditions were a liquid–solid ratio of 52 mL g−1, an extraction time of 27 min, and a microwave power of 435 W. The essential oil yield was 1.23%, which was close to the theoretical prediction. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of the sweet cherry flowers of four cultivars (Brooks, Black Pearl, Tieton and Summit) were identified via headspace solid phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The results showed that a total of 155 VOCs were identified and classified in the essential oil from sweet cherry flowers of four cultivars, 65 of which were shared among the cultivars. The highest contents of VOCs were aldehydes, alcohols, ketones and esters. Ethanol, linalool, lilac alcohol, acetaldehyde, (E)-2-hexenal, benzaldehyde and dimethyl sulfide were the major volatiles, which were mainly responsible for the characteristic aroma of sweet cherry flowers. It was concluded that the VOCs of sweet cherry flowers were qualitatively similar; however, relative content differences were observed in the four cultivars. This study provides a theoretical basis for the metabolism and regulation of the VOCs of sweet cherry flowers.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1397
Author(s):  
William N. Setzer ◽  
Lam Duong ◽  
Trang Pham ◽  
Ambika Poudel ◽  
Cuong Nguyen ◽  
...  

Virginia mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum) is a peppermint-flavored aromatic herb of the Lamiaceae and is mainly used for culinary, medicinal, aromatic, and ornamental purposes. North Alabama’s climate is conducive to growing mint for essential oils used in culinary, confectionery, and medicinal purposes. There is, however, a need for varieties of P. virginianum that can be adapted and easily grown for production in North Alabama. Towards this end, four field-grown varieties with three harvesting times (M1H1, M1H2, M1H3; M2H1, M2H2, M2H3; M3H1, M3H2, M3H3, M4H1, M4H2, M4H3) were evaluated for relative differences in essential oil yield and composition. Thirty-day-old greenhouse-grown plants of the four varieties were transplanted on raised beds in the field at the Alabama A & M University Research Station in North Alabama. The plots were arranged in a randomized complete block with three replications. The study’s objective was to compare the four varieties for essential oil yield and their composition at three harvest times, 135, 155, and 170 days after planting (DAP). Essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation with continuous extraction with dichloromethane using a Likens–Nickerson apparatus and analyzed by gas chromatographic techniques. At the first harvest, the essential oil yield of the four varieties showed that M1H1 had a yield of 1.15%, higher than M2H1, M3H1, and M4H1 with 0.91, 0.76, and 1.03%, respectively. The isomenthone concentrations increased dramatically through the season in M1 (M1H1, M1H2, M1H3) by 19.93, 54.7, and 69.31%, and M3 (M3H1, M3H2, M3H3) by 1.81, 48.02, and 65.83%, respectively. However, it increased only slightly in M2 and M4. The thymol concentration decreased slightly but not significantly in all four varieties; the thymol in M2 and M4 was very high compared with M1 and M3. The study showed that mountain mint offers potential for production in North Alabama. Two varieties, M1 and M3, merit further studies to determine yield stability, essential oil yield, composition, and cultivation development practices.


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