Matrix solid-phase dispersion with sand in chromatographic analysis of essential oils in herbs.

INTRODUCTION

Matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) is a very simple, cheap and relatively quick sample preparation procedure which involves simultaneous disruption and extraction of various solid and semi-solid samples due to the direct mechanical blending of the sample with a SPE sorbent, mainly C(18). Little is known about MSPD application as a sample preparation method for the analysis of essential oil components in herbs.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate if C(18) sorbent, commonly used in MSPD process, can be substituted with sand in the procedure of essential oil analysis.

METHODOLOGY

Essential oil extracts were obtained from mint, sage, chamomile, marjoram, savory and oregano using MSPD with C(18) sorbent or sand, pressurised liquid extraction and steam distillation. Their qualitative and quantitative compositions ware established by GC-MS and GC-FID.

RESULTS

The results prove that C(18) sorbent can be substituted with sand in the procedure of essential oil analysis in herbs. The recoveries of essential oil components estimated using MSPD/sand are almost equal to those using pressurised liquid extraction.

CONCLUSION

The results presented in the paper reveal that MSPD with sand is suitable for the isolation of essential oil components from herbs. Its extraction efficiency is equivalent to pressurised liquid extraction, recognised as one of the most efficient extraction methods. The cost of MSPD procedure for essential oil analysis can be significantly diminished by substituting C(18) with sand.