Contribution of microwave accelerated distillation in the extraction of the essential oil of Zygophyllum album L.
BACKGROUND
The aerial parts of Zygophyllum album L. are used in folk medicine as an antidiabetic agent and as a drug active against several pathologies. In this work we present the chemical composition of Algerian essential oils obtained by microwave accelerated distillation (MAD) extraction, a solventless method assisted by microwave.


OBJECTIVE
Under the same analytical conditions and using GC-FID and GC-MS, the chemical composition of the essential oil of Zygophyllum album L. extracted by MAD was compared with that achieved using hydrodistillation (HD).


METHODS
The extracted compounds were hydrosoluble, and they were removed from the aqueous solution by a liquid extraction with an organic solvent.


RESULTS
Employing MAD (100°C, 30  min), the essential oil contained mainly oxygenated monoterpenes with major constituents: carvone and α-terpineol. However, most of the compounds present in the hydrodistilled volatile fraction were not terpene species, with β-damascenone as a major constituent.


CONCLUSIONS
The MAD method appears to be more efficient than HD: after 30  min extraction time, the obtained yields (i.e. 0.002%) were comparable to those provided by HD after 3  h extraction. MAD seems to be more convenient since the volatile fraction is richer in oxygenated monoterpenes, species that are recognised for their olfactory value and their contribution to the fragrance of the essential oil.
Tigrine-Kordjani
Nacéra
N
Laboratoire d'Analyse Organique Fonctionnelle, Faculté de Chimie, Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumediene, El Alia, BP 32, Bab Ezzouar, 16111 Algiers, Algeria. tigkor12@yahoo.fr
Meklati
Brahim Youcef
BY
Chemat
Farid
F
D057168:Distillation / Q000379:methods*; D008872:Microwaves; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000737:chemistry*; D035261:Plant Components, Aerial; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry*; D011714:Pyrans / Q000737:chemistry; D013729:Terpenes / Q000737:chemistry; D032445:Zygophyllum / Q000737:chemistry*
D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010938:Plant Oils; D011714:Pyrans; D013729:Terpenes