[Gas chromatography for analysis of essential oils. Characteristics of essential oil of Dracocephalum species and the influence of extraction method on its composition]. / Gáizkromatográfia alkalmazása illóolajok analízisére Dracocephalum fajok illóolaj jellemzoi és az extrakciós mód illóolajösszetételt befolyásoló hatása.

In this work the essential oil composition of some less known Dracocephalum species was studied and compared the effectiveness, selectivity and influence of different extraction methods (hydrodistillation, Soxhlet extraction with organic solvents and supercritical fluid extraction) on essential oils. For investigations in Hungary and Transylvania cultivated plant material was used. The analysis of essential oils was carried out by GC and GC-MS methods. The components were identified by standard addition, retention factors and mass spectra. The percentile evaluation of each volatile constituents was made on basis of GC-FID chromatograms. The accuracy of measurements was characterized by relative standard deviation. In the essential oil of D. renati Emb. (studied firstly by us) 18.3% of limonene was measured and carvone, citrals and linalyl acetate monoterpenes, methyl chavicol and some sesquiterpene (e.g. bicyclovetivenol) determined in lower quantities. We established that more than 50% of essential oil of D. grandiflorum L. was formed by sesquiterpenes (beta-caryophyllene and- oxide, beta-bourbonene, beta-cubebene, aromadendrene) and the essential oil of D. ruyschiana L. contained pinocamphone isomers in more than 60%. The oxygenated acyclic monoterpenes, the characteristic constituents of Moldavian dragonhead were present in some tenth percent only in D. renati oil. We found significant differences in the composition of the SFE extract and traditional essential oil of D. moldavica L. The supercritical fractions collected at the beginning of the extraction process were richer in valuable ester component (geranyl acetate) than the essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation. The fractions collected at the end of supercritical were poor in oxygenated monoterpenes but rich in minor compounds of traditional oil, e.g. palmitic acid.

[Influence of extraction methods on the composition of essential oils]. / Extrakciós módszerek hatása az illóolajok osszetételére.

The aim of this work is to demonstrate our results on comparison of composition of essential oil fractions obtained by traditional steam distillation and supercritical fluid extraction. The plant materials for the various extraction methods were selected from the Lamiaceae, Apiaceae and Asteraceae families. For the supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) carbon dioxide was used as supercritical solvent. The extracts were collected by stage wise precipitation in two separators. The waxy product and extract rich in essential oil were collected in the 1st and in the 2nd separator respectively. The traditional water steam distillation (SD) was carried out in the special apparatus of the Hungarian Pharmacopoea (7th ed.). GC analysis was carried out on capillary silica fused columns coated with DB-1701 and the specific chiral columns coated with Rt-beta DEX m or Rt-beta DEX sm. Comparing the composition of steam distilled oils with that of volatile SFE fractions the following general characteristics were established. The SFE fractions were richer in monoterpene-esters and poorer in alcohols than the traditional essential oils (clary sage, lavander, moldavian dragonhead). Regarding the distribution of the monoterpene and sesquiterpene compounds, the SFE fractions contained sesquiterpenes in higher percentage than the distilled oils (Salvia fruticosa). Furthermore, the proportion of sesquiterpenes increased in SFE fractions collected successively with time (Salvia officinalis) similar to the ratio of oxygenated monoterpenes to monoterpene hydrocarbons (Rosmarinus officinalis). The phtalides of lovage (Satureja hortensis) did not show regular change during the supercritical extraction. In other cases it was verified that part of the mono- and sesquiterpenes were present originally in bound form (glycosides) in plants. Thus they appeared only in essential oil fractions after previous acidic treatment (Thymus, Origanum, Satureja species). During the super-critical extraction the azulenogene sesquiterpene lactones did not transform to azulenes (chamomile, yarrow), but SFE fractions of some Asteraceae plants contained sesquiterpene-gamma-lactones of unchanged structure.