Essential oil
Essential oils (also: essential oils, ether- like ether volatile) are soluble in organic solvents extracts and the organic phase from steam distillates from plants or parts of plants, which have a strong characteristic of the origin of plant odor. In addition to essential oils, hydrosols exist as byproducts of steam distillation. They contain the water-soluble components of the distilled plants and also in trace essential oils.
- 7.1 Untreated oils
- 7.2 Natural oils
- 7.3 Nature-identical oils
- 7.4 Artificial oils
Ingredients
Essential oils consist largely of mixtures of different terpenes, sesquiterpenes and aromatic compounds. Terpenes are formally derived from isoprene units from. Monoterpenes consist of two sesquiterpenes from three isoprene units. The table below shows some examples of the various molecules that are found in essential oils. Residues of fat-soluble pesticides in the starting material can also accumulate in the fat-soluble essential oil.
Properties
Essential oils contain phytochemicals that may serve the plant to attract insects for pollination, keep away pests and to protect against diseases that are caused by bacteria or fungi, for example.
Essential oils are composed of many different chemical compounds. They are fat-soluble, but do not contain fats. Unlike fatty oils, essential oils evaporate without leaving a residue. In water, they are only very slightly soluble. At atmospheric pressure, its boiling point is much higher than that of water, superheated steam, however, they are distilled. They usually have a lower density than water and therefore form on the water surface floating liquid drops (one exception is, for example cinnamon ).
Education
Essential oils are formed in oil glands of plants and stored in plant tissue. You are in flowers, leaves, seeds, fruit peel, roots, resins, bark or in the wood. Some plants provide essential oils from different plant parts, which differ in their chemical composition, very strong, such as cinnamon bark and cinnamon leaf.
From the plant parts, essential oils are obtained by steam distillation. After condensation, the substances from the aqueous phase are separated and can be deposited. The yield based on the starting material is usually in the one to two- digit parts per thousand range.
Extraction
The most common method for the production of essential oils is steam distillation. For this purpose, is injected into a sealed combustion boiler with comminuted plant material, hot steam. The steam drives the essential oil from the plant. In a cooled tube condenses the oil -water mixture, and in a collecting container, the essential oil is separated from the water. Some plants, which can not be distilled alone, such as algae, nettle or hay can be distilled together with another plant as a carrier by co- distillation. Oils of some kinds of flowers, such as jasmine, tuberose and mimosa, can not be obtained by steam distillation.
The cold pressing is used only for citrus oils. The shells are pressed so that an emulsion of liquid and volatile oil is produced. The oil is separated by centrifugation.
Extraction is practiced mainly in flower oils. For this, the plants are placed in a solvent, usually placed hexane extracts all soluble flavoring substances, waxes and dyes. Then the solvent is distilled off. What remains is a waxy material that is extracted or distilled again with alcohol. These essential oils are also called absolutes. A residue control can ensure that no solvent is present in the essential oil. The very costly extraction with fats, the so-called cold absorption is hardly practiced today.
Processing
Most essential oils are used unchanged. Some, however, be initially concentrated or further separated, for example by distillation or adsorption. To desired constituents of the essential oil can be concentrated on the effect of unsuitable materials are removed, however. Compositions containing only one or a few main components, may be obtained by distillation or crystallization, as in the recovery of eugenol from clove oil. The importance of obtaining individual components of natural essential oils has significantly decreased with the development of synthetic manufacturing process.
Use
Essential oils are used in different ways depending on the property. Frequently, the use as a fragrance in cosmetics and perfume industry in the foreground, but also as medicinal agents and as a technical solvent is have certain essential oils importance.
They are used in the cosmetics industry and Wohnraumaromatisierung in fragrance lamps. In addition, they are important as flavor-enhancing ingredients in spices and other foods. Some oils, such as produced in a large scale orange peel oil and turpentine are used as solvents.
Medicine and Naturopathy
Some non-prescription medicines contain essential oils as active ingredients, for example, Eucalyptus or menthol for mucus in catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, bronchitis, etc.. Too effects against bloating and cramping in the gastrointestinal area, eg by tea with fennel and caraway and anise, particularly in pediatrics, and in inflammation in the mouth and throat ( sage, chamomile ), are attributed to essential oils.
Play a central role essential oils in the naturopathic method of aromatherapy, a form of herbal medicine for the treatment of disorders and diseases sensation by fragrances. In addition to the application by therapists (usually medical practitioner ) is also self-treatment by fragrance lamps, bath, sauna infusions or teas widespread, with the boundaries between medical treatment and pure Wohnraumaromatisierung are fluid.
Most essential oils are skin and mucous membranes and are therefore only used highly diluted, eg as a component of oil-based skin care products or in combination with vegetable oils. Allergies and intolerances essential oils are present, as well as asthmatic attacks in people who on individual substances (eg menthol) are sensitive. Frequently reactions also occur on the corresponding essential oils in an intolerance to certain plants.
Effects on health
Due to its small molecular structure get essential oils on skin and mucous membranes in the bloodstream and tissues. In this way, they influence the whole organism. About inhaling them from leaving the mucous membranes and lungs also in the bloodstream. When ingested by mouth (oral ) is a part of the active ingredients through the gastrointestinal tract is taken, for the most part they go through the oral mucosa into the bloodstream.
About the sensory cells of the nose the smell information to the brain. Aromatherapy makes use of the fact that odors can influence the feelings, the autonomic nervous system, hormone production and the immune system.
Trading Standards
The term " essential oil " is not protected and is used commercially to purely synthetic products. For the differentiation of essential oils the designations are natural, of course, used natural identical and artificial.
Untreated oils
Untreated oils are extracted directly from plants. Differences are the oils on the origin, characteristics, process and product quality. The description of a natural oil may include:
- The cultivation of the plant (conventional, organic ( kba ) or wild collection )
- The German and botanical name of the plant
- The country of production of the plant
- The plant part used ( root, flower, fruit or leaf )
- The chemotype of the plant ( in plants of a species, which differ only in their chemical composition). In some plants, this may cause differences in the composition of the oil. Depending on the chemotype of thyme, for example, is thymol or contain linalool.
- Recovery processes of the essential oil
- For extraction: Specification of the solvent and possibly information on residue controls
- Case of viscous essential oils ( eg, vanilla, Tonka ) the type of diluent (eg, alcohol, alcohol, jojoba oil) and the mixing ratio
- Biochemical data and physical analysis (partly with the manufacturer for batch numbers available )
Natural oils
Natural oils consist of several pure natural components which are thus not deriving solely from the eponymous plant. Natural oils may contain no synthetic additives. A mixture of a pure natural oil with synthetic additives are referred to as natural / nature identical (N / NI).
Nature-identical oils
The components of nature identical oils are synthetically modeled on the chemical composition of natural essential oils so that they smell similar to natural oils. The composition identical to natural oils is often less complex than that of natural variants, there is, for example, nature-identical rosemary oil from about eleven ingredients, while the natural essential oil has about 150 ingredients.
Artificial oils
Artificial oils have no natural counterpart and are designed specifically to certain odor properties. Since they can accumulate as fat-soluble substances in the fatty tissues of the organism, and may also have hormone-like effects, the health effects of artificial oils is partly controversial.
Market
The worldwide market for a total of about 120 different essential oils is estimated at € 600 million, the demand is relatively stable at 50,000 to 60,000 tons per year, of which around a third citrus oils. More than 50 % of the amount on the world market comes from China. In Germany, hardly essential oils are produced, because very few plant origin for the oils thrive in locally grown. Because of the very energy-intensive distillation energy costs are a further competitive disadvantage. Production in Germany is economically only in chamomile and lemon balm.