[Studies regarding chemical composition of lavender volatile oils].

OBJECTIVE

In this paper, we studied comparatively volatile fractions obtained by hydrodistillation from 5 samples of lavender flowers (L. angustifolia ssp. angustifolia, L. hybrida, L. angustifolia spp. pyrenaica, L. angustifolia spp. angustifolia cv. Munstead and cv. Hidcote blue) cultivated during 2009 in the Botanical Garden from Galati.

METHODS

The essential oils have been characterized using gas-chromatography and mass spectroscopy analysis (GC-MS).

RESULTS

The main compounds in all lavender volatile oils were: linalool (20.60%-35.99%), linalyl acetate (12.58%-19.65%), lavandulyl acetate (3.74%-10.48%), t-p3-ocimene (1.26%-9.23%), a-terpineol (3.67%-6.73%), nerol (0.81%-3.32%), neryl acetate (0.95%-3.64%) and beta-caryophyllene (0.93%-2.43%).

CONCLUSIONS

None of the separated volatile fractions met the minimal quality parameters for the standard volatile oil of fine lavender used in aromatherapy. Low concentration in monoterpene esthers could be explained by the fact that, on one hand, the average daily temperature during the blooming period is below the one from Mediterranean Sea area, and, on the other hand, the city of Galati is only 42 meters above the sea level (the volatile oil from fine lavender used in aromatherapy is obtained from plants cultivated at 800-1200 meters altitude).