Evaluation of Two Methods of Extracting Essential Oils from Citrus maxima

Abstract

Essential oil from Citrus maxima was extracted by steam distillation and solvent extraction. The organic solvent extraction method achieved a 28.5% increase in efficiency compared with the steam distillation method. TD1 essential oil had a strong smell, mixed with water and other impurities (wax, resin...). In contrast, TD2 essential oil was fragrant due to its high essential oil content. The chemical composition of TD2 was more than TD1. The main components of essential oils such as pinene, limonene, phellandrene, ocimene, linalool, anethole, eugenol, zingiberene, nerolidol, etc. were kept intact, not denatured, without impurities. Keywords: Citrus maxima, Oil, steam distillation, solvent extraction, GC-MS.