Rosemary was introduced to Vietnam in around 2007. Rosemary essential oil has some useful properties such as antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal; It is extracted by several methods: hydrodistillation, steam distillation, and microwaves/ultrasonic waves assisted hydrodistillation. This study researched the factors influencing the steam distillation process. The yield of obtained essential oil is 3.04% with the conditions: 300g input of dried and blended rosemary leaf, the boiling temperature at 195°C for 70 minutes (for the evaporation rate of 0.045 mL/s). Analysis results by GC-MS showed that the main components in essential oils: 23,63% of α-pinene, 15,35% of 1,8-cineole, 5,56% of borneol, and 5,52% of geraniol. The performance and composition of rosemary essential oil were compared to hydrodistillation and microwave-assisted hydrodistillation methods.
Figure: The process of distilling rosemary essential oil
