Published
2020-05-13
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Physical Characteristics of the Essential Oil Extracted from Released and Improved Lemongrass Varieties, Palmarosa and Citronella Grass
Beriso Mieso
Analtytical Chemistry Ethiopia Institute of Agricultural Research, Wondo Genet Agricultural Research Center Shashamene, Ethiopia.
Abdela Befa
Food Science and Technology, Ethiopia Institute of Agricultural Research, Wondo Genet Agricultural Research Center Shashamene, Ethiopia.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.512.2020.71.65.68
Keywords: Citronella grass, Essential oil, Lemongrass, Palmarosa, Physicochemical.
Abstract
The grass species lemongrass, palmarosa, and citronella/nardus grass are one of the aromatic and medicinal plants which know days Wondo genet Agriculture center is working on their essential oil yield increment and releasing different varieties. The essential oils were extracted using hydro distillation methods. This study investigated the analysis of physical characteristics of lemongrass varieties, palmarosa, and citronella grass essential oils. From the released three lemongrass varieties WG-Lomisar-Java has the highest oil content (1.25 %± 0.02) and the other two varieties namely Lomisar-I and WG-lomisar-UA (upper awash) have the same oil content (1.2%± 0.02). WG-lomisar-UA (upper awash) has the largest relative density/specific gravity (0.9015± 0.0002) and WG-Lomisar-Java has the smallest value (0.9007± 0.0002). In the case of the refractive index, Lomisar-I has a large value (1.4890± 0.0002) and WG-Lomisar-Java has a small value (1.4870± 0.0002). The oil content of palmarosa was 1.2%± 0.03, the specific gravity was 0.8815± 0.0002 and the refractive index was 1.4720± 0.0002, whereas Citronella grass contains 1.3%± 0.01 oil content, 0.9108± 0.0002 specific gravity, and 1.4800± 0.0002 refractive indexes.