Extração do óleo essencial de alecrim (Rosmarinus officinalis L.): obtenção mediante arraste a vapor de água e uso na produção de velas aromáticas

Abstract

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) is a plant with a high amount of bioactive compounds and is widely used. Essential oils are organic and natural substances, responsible for the aroma of plants. The production of essential oils has increased over the years due to the increasing consumption and their various applications.Therefore, the objectives of this study were to obtain the essential oil of rosemary from the plant "in natura", on a laboratory scale, by means of hydrodistillation in a Clevenger device, to use the extracted essential oil as an active ingredient for the formulation of aromatic candle, to compare the properties of the formulated candle with the extracted oil, with the candle formulated with the commercial oil and with a commercial aromatic rosemary candle. The yield of the essential oil (E.O.) was determined in relation to the weight of the plant material and the yield of the extracted oil was 0.9230%. The refractive index found was 1.4745, within the range allowed by Anvisa. The evaporation residue of the extracted oil was analyzed and it was observed that after 20 minutes the aroma was not perceptible on the filter paper for the oil. However, the same parameter for commercial rosemary oil occurred after 35 minutes. For the production of the two aromatic candles, the burning tests and quality tests of the candles were carried out, in order to ensure a good performance. Whereas, the odor of the extracted essential oil was similar but less intense than the commercial oil. The two candles produced with the commercial essential oil and the extracted essential oil achieved a desired look, without stains, sh rinks and creamy texture. After 10 minutes of burning, the scented candles (commercial, with commercial E.O. and with extracted E.O.) began to exude the aroma, which was noticeable throughout the burning process. At the end of this process, it was possible to identify the tunneling only for the scented candle with commercial O.E. The firing test showed that for the candle with commercial O.E., the chosen wick size was not suitable. The results obtained in this study were satisfactory, since they corresponded with the literature.