Received: 14-05-2018 / Accepted: 28-06-2018
Perilla leaves and the essential oil have been used in food and traditional medicine for a long time. The essential oil from perilla leaves was proven to be the most active components attributable to the health benefits. This study aimed to determine the most suitable condition for the extractionof essential oil from perilla leaves (0.76 % essential oil) by using steam distillation technology. The perilla leaves were distillated within 48 h after harvest with leaf cut pieces of of 2.0 < d 4.0 mm in size. The optimum distillation conditions were determined as follows: vapor pressure 2 atm, sample to distillation chamber volume ratio 0.4 kg/l, distillation rate 30%, condensation temperature 40 0C, and distillation time 180 minutes. Under these conditions, the distillation yield was 95.35%. The obtained essential oil had typical flavor of perilla with 38.99% perilla aldehyde, 23.71% perilla alcohol, 6.22% -zingiberene and 5.63% β-caryophylene, which can be used as fragrances in food and pharmaceutical products.
