The most widely used method to extract oil from flowers, specifically essential oils, is steam distillation.
Extracting the fragrant and potent oils from flowers, known as essential oils, is a delicate process. According to sources, steam distillation is the most widely used method for extracting essential oils from flowers. This technique utilizes the power of steam to gently separate the volatile aromatic compounds from the plant material.
The Steam Distillation Process
Steam distillation works by passing steam through the flower material. Here’s a simple breakdown of the steps involved, based on the standard practice:
- Preparation: Fresh or dried flower material is placed in a still.
- Steaming: Steam is passed through the flower material. This heat breaks open the tiny sacs within the plant that hold the essential oil.
- Evaporation: The heat from the steam causes the volatile aroma compounds to evaporate along with the steam. These compounds are the essential oils.
- Condensation: The mixture of steam and essential oil vapor travels into a cooling tube (condenser), where it is cooled, usually by circulating cold water around the tube. This causes the steam and essential oil vapor to condense back into liquid form.
- Collection: The condensed liquid, which is a mixture of water (called hydrolat or hydrosol) and essential oil, is then condensed and collected separately. Since essential oils are typically lighter than water and do not mix with it, they will float on top, allowing them to be easily separated.
This method is favored for many flowers because it uses only heat and water, avoiding harsh chemicals and resulting in a pure essential oil extract. While other methods like solvent extraction or enfleurage exist, steam distillation remains the go-to technique for many commercially available floral essential oils.
