Comparison of extraction methods for gaharu oil
2010
Nor Fazila K. | Ku Halim K. H.
Gaharu or globally known as agarwood is the most precious wood in the world. Gaharu is produced by species of Aquilaria in the family Thymelaeaceae. Fragrant resins that infuse the inner wood of some Aquilaria trees are produced as a result to wounding and/or a fungal infection. Dark coloured wood indicates high resin content. Gaharu can be classified into various grades such as Grade A, B, C and D. Gaharu oil is normally extracted from lower grade wood like Grade C. Gaharu oil is used as a base oil in the perfumery industry. This base oil could blend with other essential oils to get different pleasant odours. The oil is extracted by using various extraction methods such as hydro-distillation, steam distillation, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and solvent extraction. This paper compares the extraction methods of gaharu oil. It was found that the higher yield of gaharu oil was produced within a shorter time by using SFE. It took only four hours compared to seven days when using hydro-distillation. However, the most popular extraction method for gaharu oil is hydro-distillation although this method is time and energy consuming.
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