Supercritical fluid extraction of Z-sabinene hydrate-rich essential
oils from Romanian Mentha hybrids*
Eugenia Gh. Pop1, and Danielle Barth2
1Plantessoils Ltd., Tomis 42, 2200, Brasov, Romania;
2ENSIC, Nancy, France
Abstract: The green solvent SCCO2 was
used to extract the volatile part, rich in thermolabile compounds, Z-sabinene
hydrate and its acetate, from a Romanian mint hybrid. The best yield,
2.26%, was obtained at 9294 bar, 50 °C (SFE 2). Kinetic study
of SCCO2 extraction and hydrodistillation and
monitoring by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry
(GCMS) analysis established optimal conditions for SCCO2
extracts with a high content of Z-sabinene hydrate (43.5%) and its acetate
(19.15%) and flavor similar to plant material (P = 90100 bar,
T = 50 °C). Only at the beginning of hydrodistillation was it possible
to obtain a high content of Z-sabinene hydrate (37.3%, after 70 min),
but a high content of its acetate never could be reached. This study
suggests a way to obtain Z-sabinene hydrate from a natural source and
reveals the importance of mild conditions to keep what is valuable in
nature.
*Lecture presented at the IUPAC CHEMRAWN
XIV Conference on Green Chemistry:Toward Environmentally Benign Processes
and Products, Boulder,Colorado, USA, 9-13 June 2001. Other presentations
are published in this issue, pp.1229 –1330.
