Influence of distillation time and distillation apparatus on the chemical composition and quality of Lavandula angustifolia Mill. essential oil

In the study, the influence of distillation time as well as distillation apparatus on the chemical composition and quality of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) essential oil were investigated. Two different types of distillation apparatuses: Deryng (popular in Poland) and Clevenger-type (recommended by European Pharmacopoeia) were used for the isolation of the essential oil from dried lavender flowers (Lavandulae flos). Moreover, different distillation times (2, 3 and 4 hours) were also applied. The chemical composition of the isolated oils, determined by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS), revealed the dominance of linalool (11.55–17.19%) and linalyl acetate (12.84–16.78%) in the all analyzed samples. Other important constituents were: caryophyllene oxide (5.66–7.35%), lavandulyl acetate (4.64–5.40%) and borneol (4.62–5.51%). On the basis of the obtained data it was proved that the distillation time and distillation apparatus affect the amounts of some constituents in the lavender oil.