Comparison of the volatile oils of Artemisia tournefortiana Reichenb. obtained by two different methods of extraction

The essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation and solvent free microwave extraction from the aerial parts of Artemisia tournefortiana were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Forty-six components representing 82.3% of the hydrodistilled oil and thirty-nine components representing 81.0% of the solvent free microwave extraction oil of the plant were identified. The main components of the water-distilled oils were (Z)-βfarnesene (34.2%) and nonadecane (8.1%), whereas in the microwave extraction method 2-propenoic acid, 2-ethyl hexyl ester (30.0%) and spathulenol (19.5%) were the major constituents. The water-distilled oil of Artemisia tournefortiana was rich with regard to sesquiterpenes (64.5%), whereas the solvent free microwave extraction oil was rich with regard to sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (40.0%) and non-terpenoid compounds (39.3%) and the monoterpene hydrocarbon fraction was relatively small, representing 1.7% of the total oil. According to this study, the composition of the two oils showed significant differences in the contents of the main components.