Abstract:

The steam distillation extraction of essential oil from African marigold leaves was optimized for achieving maximum oil yield using single factor and orthogonal array design methods, and chemical composition analysis of the extracted oil was carried out using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The optimal conditions for oil extraction were found as follows: material-liquid ratio 1:6; distillation duration 5 h; and heating temperature 110 ℃, and the resultant oil yield was up to 0.0944%. The GC-MS analysis showed that 31 peaks were separated, and 29 of them were identified, accounting for 93.55% of the total peak area, and the main components were cyclohexene (37.02%), 2-isopropyl-5-methyl-3-cyclohexen-1-one (14.08%), limonene (13.08%), 3,7-dimethyl-1,3,6-octatriene (8.785%) and caryophyllene (4.18%).

Key words: African marigold (Tagetes erecta L.), essential oil, steam distillation, chemical composition, GC-MS