Chemical composition of distillation waters

There is hardly any scientific study on quality control and standardization of distillation waters of aromatic plants commonly used in Turkey. In order to fill this gap, distillation waters of high economic value such as Rose water and Oregano water and those of Anethum graveolens, Foeniculum vulgare, Melissa officinalis, Mentha piperita, Mentha spicata, Pimpinella anisum, Rosmarinus officinalis and Salvia fruticosa have been investigated and the compositions were compared with their essential oils. Isolation of essential oils from distillation waters was carried out using liquid-liqid extraction (with hexane and chloroform), immersion-solid phase microextraction (Im-SPME), and headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME). The isolated oils were analyzed by Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). Headspace SPME with GC/MS is offered as the best technique for the analysis of distillation waters.Keywords: Aromatic plant, Essential Oil, Distillation Water, GC/MS, Liquid- Liquid Extraction, Immersion-Solid Phase Microextraction, Headspace- Solid Phase Microextraction.