Investigation and Modeling of Extraction Parameters ofRuta chalepensisL. Essential Oil

To evaluate the effects of hydrodistillation parameters and the vegetative cycle of the plant (Ruta chalepensis L.) on the global essential oil yield the response surface methodology was used. The parameters tested are the volume of water in the suspension to be distilled and the time of distillation. The third parameter is the vegetative cycle of the plant. The responses were the global extraction yield and the extraction yield of following essential oil compounds: 2-undecanone, 2-decanone, 2-dodecanone and 2-tridecanone. The optimal conditions selected for the total output of the extraction obtained from the analysis of the response surfaces are: time of distillation: 120 minutes; volume of water in the suspension to be distilled: 500 ml; stage of vegetation: January (young growths). The results show that the time of distillation and the stage of vegetation are the parameters more meaning on the global essential oil yield.