Essential oil of Minthostachys mollis: extraction and chemical composition of fresh and stored samples

Abstract

The objective of this research work was to determine the amount of essential oil obtained from the plant species Mintostachys mollis , using the method of extraction of water-steam distillation by the cohobation process and the comparison of the chemical composition of the fresh and stored samples of the plant. Two factors were experimentally taken into account for the extraction: humidity of the material and time measured in three levels, according to the response variable, which is referred to the volume of extracted oil. The characterization was carried out by gas chromatography/ mass spectrometer. The extraction process showed that the highest yields of essential oil were obtained under the humidity factor at medium levels and not at low or high levels. The analysis of the volatile fraction of the extracted fresh sample showed a content of 42 compounds in its composition, among them the carvacryl acetate, trans-caryophillene and germacrene D; while, the results of the stored sample essential oil showed a composition 24 compounds highlighting the presence of trans-Caryophyllene and sabinene. These results are interesting for research and are potentially useful in the food and pharmacology industry.