Germany researchers extract active ingredients from essential oils

In Germany, plant-based active ingredients have become indispensable in medicine. However, the basis for their broad application is the efficient extraction of these substances from medicinal plants. Using a novel process, scientists at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) can extract efficiently the active ingredients from essential oils.

In the project “Development of a process towards structural manipulation of essential oils using the hydrolate phase on the example of the  thyme plant (Thymus vulgaris L.)”, the researchers are investigating conventional processes, such as distillation, for the production of essential oils. In this approach, the generated water vapour is passed through the thyme raw material. The water vapour  is enriched, discharged, and then condensed elsewhere. Due to the difference in density, the active ingredient-rich oil separates from the water and can be extracted.