Yield and Chemical Composition of the Essential Oils Extracted from Marjoram (Majorana hortensis), Peppermint (Mentha piperita) and Thyme (Tymus capitatus).

Abstract

The objective of this research was to investigate the yield and the chemical composition of the essential oils extracted from three aromatic plants; marjoram, peppermint and thyme. The essential oils were extracted by steam distillation method and their yield was calculated. GC-MS technique was used to isolate, identify, and quantify the essential oils chemical constituents. The essential oils yield of marjoram; peppermint and thyme were 0.3, 0.6 and 1.0 % respectively. The major components in tested essential oils were terpinen-4-ol (19.27%), γ-terpinene (13.75%), cis-saboinene hydrate (13.36%) for marjoram essential oil; menthol (24.35%), L-menthone (18.28%), cineole (13.88%) for peppermint essential oil; 1.8 cineol (9.90%), camphor (9.85%), camphene (9.59%), thymol (8.24%), linalool (7.23%), terpinene-4-ol (7.06%), D-limonene (6.32%), cymene (5.66%), P-menthan-1-ol (5.61%), carvacrol (5.00%), α-terpinolene (3.82%) and α-pinene (3.10%) for thyme essential oil.

Key words: Chemical Composition, Essential Oils, Marjoram, Peppermint, Thyme, Yield.