Headspace-solvent microextraction for identification of volatile components of Myrtus communis L.

Abstract

Headspace-solvent microextraction (HS-SME) and hydrodistillation coupled with GC-MS have been used for isolation and identification of the volatile components that characterize Myrtus communis L. aroma. In the HS-SME method a suspended micro-drop of n -butanol was used as solvent. The effect of six different parameters on extraction efficiency, including sample weight, drop volume, extraction temperature, conditioning time, extraction time, and ionic strength were optimized using a simplex optimization method. The volatile components were studied both by HS-SME and an ordinary hydrodistillation method and the major components identified were 1,8-cineol, α-pinene, limonene, and linalool.