Hydrodistillation kinetics and essential oil composition from fermented parsley seeds

Abstract

The effect of fermentation conditions on the yield and composition of the essential oil from Petroselinum crispum (Mill.) Nym. ex. A.W. Hill seeds was studied. The yield of essential oil was determined by a Clevenger-type apparatur, and the composition of the oil by GC analysis. The highest yield of essential oil (5.90 mL per 100 g, i.e. 96.7% in regard to the oil content in parsley seeds) was obtained from disintegrated parsley seeds fermented for 4 h at 30?C with a hydromodulus of 1:20 w/v, after the sixth hydrodistillation each lasting 240 minutes. The obtained oil contained ?-pinene, ?-pinene, sabinene, myristicin, 2,3,4,5-tetramethoxy-1-allylbenzene, apiole and 1,2 benzene-dicarbonic acid. The density of the oil (d25) was 1.039 g/mL3, the refractive index, (nD20) was 1.5214 and the oil solubility was 8 volume parts of 80% vol. ethanol for 1 mL of oil.