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Abstract
This work investigated the effects of harvest season and post harvest storage time on the oil yield and the linalool and camphor proportions of the linalool chemotype of Cinnamomum camphora. Hydrodistilled essential oils were analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MS to determine their chemical constituents. The essential oil yield and linalool proportion showed the same trend a cross leaf life cycles (March to the next January), while the camphor proportion showed the opposite trend. The essential oil yield (1.15-1.19 %) and linalool proportion (90.53-91.24 %) were highest in the rainy season (May and July), and the camphor proportion was low (0.09-0.11 %). After storage at room temperature for thirty days, the oil yield and profile (linalool and camphor proportions) revealed no significant change, although the weight of the leaves decreased significantly every day. These results suggested that the optimal harvesting time was from May to July for a high essential oil yield and linalool content, and low camphor content. Moreover, essential oil extraction is feasible within one month after harvest.