Effect of the Supercritical Extraction Parameters on Lavender Essential Oil Yield and Composition

Abstract

The aromatic plants, also called herbs and species contain significant high amounts of essential oils which produced from different parts of the plant. Lavender essential oil is one of the most popular volatile oil. It is known for its complex chemical composition which contributes to its exceptional fragrance and aromatherapeutic properties. The extraction of lavender oil using supercritical fluid extraction is a promising alternative to conventional methods. Carbon dioxide is the most often used supercritical fluid solvent. Its solution efficiency can be influenced by the parameters (pressure, temperature). the addition of cosolvents to the supercritical fluid can enhance the solubility of non-volatile compounds and improve the extraction of complex essential oils. This work explores the influence of the cosolvent amount and CO2 flowrate on the yield and chemical composition of lavender essential oil. The Lavandula angustifolia type lavender was dried and milled before use. Absolute ethanol cosolvent was used in different amounts (1-3 V/V %) in the solvent which flowrate was changed between 4-8 ml/min. According to the extraction yield the increasing of the cosolvent and flowrate resulted higher amount of essential oil. The samples were analysed by GC-MS to see the effect of the parameters on the main components.