R&D on the Extraction and Analysis Technologies of Plant Essential Oils (1/2)

Essential oils from plants are widely used in everyday items, such as food, cosmetics, fragrance agents, medicines, insecticides, antibacterial agents and aromatherapies etc. The applicable fields are widening along with the development of economic activities. Because essential oils are derived from various parts of plants, such as root, stem, leaves, flowers, fruit and wood, hence, different materials entail differing means of extraction. The extraction processes should include proper pretreatment of the plant materials collected from different locales. Then the moisture content shall be determined. Steam distillation method is often used to extract the essential oils and to determine its content. Afterward, gas chromatographic methods are used to analyze the compositions of the essential oils. These set the basis for the extraction, analysis and utilization of various essential oils. Finally the ways to utilize the waste distillation liquor and residual materials should be explored to minimize waste and maximize uses for the plant materials.