Extraction of Citrus deliciosa Tenore petitgrain (leaf) essential oil by steam distillation under different operating pressures

ABSTRACT This work aimed to evaluate the effect of system absolute pressure on the yield and composition of petitgrain essential oil of Citrus deliciosa Tenore, extracted by steam distillation. The extractions were carried out at the absolute pressures of 760, 610, 460, and 310 Torr, for 1 h. The chemical composition of the essential oil was determined by GC/MS and GC-FID. According to the results, the reduction of pressure reduced essential oil yield, from 0.6% v/w at 760 Torr to 0.3% v/w at 310 Torr. Regarding the chemical composition, there was an increase in methyl N-methylanthranilate content with the reduction of system pressure, from 88.3 wt.% at 760 Torr to 97.6 wt.% at 310 Torr. However, it was observed a reduction in extraction efficiency due to the lower steam temperature. On the other hand, lower temperatures may imply a smaller degradation of thermolabile compounds. This process may be an alternative to other deterpenation techniques because it couples in a sole stage the extraction and purification/separation of essential oil components. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT