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Abstract
Origanum minutiflorum is an endemic species, grown in west Mediterranean region of Turkey. This plant used mainly in essential oil production and also processed into spices, tea, seasonings etc. The physical and chemical characteristics of essential oil could be varied depending on growing place, harvesting season, climatic condition, extraction procedures etc. In this study, effects of five different distillation times (10, 20, 30, 60, 120 minutes) were investigated. The results showed that amount of essential oil and compositions of them was significantly affected (p < 0.05) by distillation times. Considering the each application, volatile oils were changed from 0.12 to 3.11% and more than 50% of total oil was extracted in 10 minutes of distillation after the beginning of boiling. Twenty-eight components, represent more than 99%, were identified by GC-MS/FID. The main component was carvacrol and ranged from 62.60 to 86.40% depending on distillation times. The other major constituents were p-cymene, γ-terpinene, borneol and their quantities varied between 4.29–8.07%, 1.72–5.12%, 0.27–5.33%, respectively. The results showed that 60 minutes distillation was the most suitable time for essential oil yield and higher carvacrol content. Consequently, distillation time is an important processing factor in order to arrange active compounds at intended values which contribute standardized production.
Acknowledgement
We would like to thank General Directorate of Agricultural Researches and Policies for supporting our study under the National Food and Feed Research Programme with the project numbered as TAGEM/HSGYAD/12/A05/P01/04.