Determination of the essential oil content of Lavandula X-Intermedia plant at different developmental stages in the Turkish National Botanical Garden
Abstract
As a significant perennial plant of the Lamiaceae family, lavender is widely cultivated for its essential oil, alongside polar constituents like polyphenols and coumarins. Literature indicates that its phytochemical composition is strictly dependent on geographical origin, genetic variety, climatic conditions, harvest schedule, phonological stage, and extraction technique. This study investigates the Lavandula x intermedia culture grown within our institution, evaluating the essential oil extractions obtained from biomass sampled during and after the flowering phases. This study examines the essential oil yield and chemical composition of lavender plants, both in fresh and dried forms, as well as during the flowering and pre-flowering periods. Isolation of the essential oils was performed via a 3-to-4-hour hydrodistillation process using a Clevenger-type apparatus. To evaluate the volatile components, lavender samples isolated through hydrodistillation were subjected to Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Lavender essential oil yield increases in parallel with the increased flowering rate of the plant. The major components obtained from fresh and dried lavender were examined. When the GC-MS results of fresh, unbloomed lavender were examined, the main components were as follows: 27.85% endo-Borneol, 24.95% beta-fellander, 11.56% linalool, 6.03% krypton, 5.91% alpha-pinene, 5.78% D-limonene, 5.76% alpha-bisabolol, 3.86% camphor, 3.1% lavandulyl acetate, 2.66% linalyl acetate, and 2.56% myrcene. When GC-MS results were examined in dried, unbloomed lavender, the main components were as follows: 26.17% 1-borneol, 16.42% eucalyptol, 10.88% L-linalool, 9.64% beta-phellandrene, 8.30% krypton, 7.80% limonene, 6.61% trans-beta-ocimene, 4.73% (+)-2-bornanone, 2.62% 2-beta-pinene, 2.62% lavandulyl acetate, 2.32% linalyl acetate, and 1.91% delta 3-carotene.
