Comparison of Extraction Techniques on Dried Lavender Flowers Using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Nurhidayah Basri, Geraldine Chan, Panita Ngamchuachit, Aaron Thong

Abstract

Lavender essential oil is widely used in perfumery, cosmetics, aromatherapy, and food applications, with quality largely determined by the composition of key monoterpenoids. Common lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is regarded as the reference species for ISO-compliant oils due to its characteristic aroma profile and low camphor content. This study compared steam distillation (SD), simultaneous distillation–extraction (SDE), and solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE) to investigate their effects on the volatile composition of dried L. angustifolia flowers. Volatiles were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and four key odorants (linalool, linalyl acetate, lavandulol, and lavandulyl acetate) were quantified by gas chromatography–flame ionization detection (GC-FID). A total of 30 compounds were identified using spectral and retention index matches to an in-house library and the NIST 17 library. Two-way ANOVA revealed significant differences among extraction methods (p-value < 0.05). SD yielded the highest concentrations of linalool and linalyl acetate, consistent with ISO 3515:2002 specifications, whereas SAFE produced the lowest amounts but the most diverse volatile profile, including more thermally labile and minor constituents than SD or SDE. These results highlight a clear trade-off: SD maximizes yields of ISO-defined volatiles, whereas SAFE better reflects aroma authenticity, offering complementary insights for lavender quality assessment from a sensomics perspective.

Keywords

References

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DOI: 10.14416/j.asep.2026.05.010

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