Optimization of Steam Distillation Process and Chemical Constituents of Volatile Oil from Angelicaesinensis Radix

Abstract

In this study, the steam distillation process of volatile oil from Angelicae sinensis Radix was optimized according to the concept of quality-by-design. A homemade glass volatile oil extractor was used to achieve better cooling of the volatile oil. First, the soaking time, distillation time, and liquid–material ratio were identified as potential critical process parameters by consulting the literature. Then, the three parameters were investigated by single factor experiments. The volatile oil yield increased with the extension in the distillation time, and first increased and then decreased with the increase in soaking time and liquid–material ratio. The results confirmed that soaking time, distillation time, and liquid–material ratio were all critical process parameters. The kinetics models of volatile oil distillation from Angelicae sinensis Radix were established. The diffusion model of spherical particle was found to be the best model and indicated that the major resistance of mass transfer was the diffusion of volatile oil from the inside to the surface of the medicinal herb. Furthermore, the Box–Behnken experimental design was used to study the relationship between the three parameters and volatile oil yield. A second-order polynomial model was established, with R2 exceeding 0.99. The design space of the volatile oil yield was calculated by a probability-based method. In the verification experiments, the average volatile oil yield reached 0.711%. The results showed that the model was accurate and the design space was reliable. In this study, 21 chemical constituents of volatile oil from Angelicae sinensis Radix were identified by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer(GC-MS), accounting for 99.4% of the total volatile oil. It was found that the content of Z-ligustilide was the highest, accounting for 85.4%.

Distillation of essential oils: An innovative technological approach focused on productivity, quality and sustainability

“…The oil obtained after the modifications had a Z-ligustilide content, the main component of this oil, that was higher than 85%, which indicates the high quality of the product obtained. The results of Wan et al [ 39 ], as well as those obtained in our study, support the idea that modifications to the process of obtaining essential oils can also result in an improved product quality.…”

“…The higher concentration found in the present experiments, when compared to those reported by Mahmoud et al [ 38 ], demonstrate that it is possible to perform extractions in an industrial manner that are of a higher quality than the laboratory-scale experiments. The study by Wan et al [ 39 ] proposed optimizations to the steam distillation process to obtain oil from Angelicae sinensis Radix with regard to the concept of quality by design. The oil obtained after the modifications had a Z-ligustilide content, the main component of this oil, that was higher than 85%, which indicates the high quality of the product obtained.…”

Chemical Composition and Anti-Candida Activity of Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. Essential Oils Obtained by Different Distillation Processes

“…This is consistent with some literature data reporting a 25-40% decrease in yield for some Cymbopogon EOs with increasing time [23]. Numerous studies have confirmed that EO yield decreases with time [24][25][26] or at least reaches equilibrium at some point without further increase [27][28][29]. There are also data from the literature suggesting different effects of drying on EO content [30], as some studies noted a significant decrease in yield [31], while others reported an increase [26].…”