Extraction of Essential Oil

To obtain essential oils the aromatic essence molecules of the plant must be captured by using a technical distillation or extraction method.

Essential oils are found in all plants and herbs. They are what gives fragrance to flowers, such as rose or lavender, or flavour to herbs, such as cinnamon or ginger. Oil can be extracted from any part of the plant from petals and leaves, roots, seeds and rinds.

How to Extract Essential Oils?

There are many ways in which essential oils are extracted. A few of them are illustrated below:

Essential Oil Extraction - Distillation

The Egyptians stored their raw materials in large clay pots. Water are added and the pots heated so that steam rose and was pushed through a cotton cloth in the neck of the jar. This soaked up the essential oil which was then squeezed and pressed out into a collection vessel. The same principle remains in use today as high pressure steam is passed over the leaves or flowers in a sophisticated still often using a vacuum, so that the essential oils within them vaporize. When the steam carrying the essential oil passes though a cooling system, the oil condenses and cannot be separated easily from the water.

Essential Oil Extraction - Maceration

Flowers are soaked in hot oil to break down the cells, releasing their fragrance into the oil which is then purified and the essential oil is extracted.

Essential Oil Extraction - Enfleurage

This is the method by which flower essences such as Jasmine, Rose, which are more delicate and difficult to obtain are extracted. Flowers or petals are crushed between wooden framed, glass trays smeared with a greasy animal fat until the fat is saturated with their perfume.

Essential Oil Extraction - Pressing

This is a simple method of squeezing out literally, essential oils from the rinds and peel off ripe fruit such as orange and lemon into a sponge.

Get more information on essential oil and their extraction:

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What are Essential Oils? How Essential Oils and aromatherapy work? The vital element in any Aromatherapy treatment is the pure essential oil. An essential oil is an aromatic, volatile substance extracted from a single botanical source by distillation

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How to extract essential oil and various method of extraction? There are many ways in which essential oils are extracted such as Distillation, pressing, maceration etc.

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Lavender essential oil - Lavendula Officinalis
Bergamot essential oil - Citrus Bergamia
Jasmine essential oil - Jasminum Officinale
Geranium essential oil - Pelargonium Adorantissimum
Cinnamon essential oil - CinnamomumZeylanicum
Basil essential oils - Ocimum Basilicum
Ylang-Ylang - Cananga odorata
Sandalwood essential oils - Santalum album
Orange essential oil - Citrus aurantium
Rose essential oil - Rosa Centifolia, Rosa Damascena
Rosemary essential oil - Rosmarinus Officinalis
Patchouli essential oil - Pogostemon patchouli
Chamomile essential oil - Anthemis Nobilib
Sage essential oil - Salvia Officinalis

sir\madam,
i want to access the effects of process codition on the yeild of oil. using oil bean tree[pentaclethra macrophylla] and melon as a case study.
thanks. UCHE