Tailoring of the chemical profile of volatile organic compounds in a combined drying/extraction process of Salvia officinalis L.

• Applicant: Shkelqim Karaj, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Plant Cultivation, Plant Nutrition, Agricultural Technology ; Plant Biochemistry and Biophysics ; Plant Breeding and Plant Pathology
• Term: from 2019 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 435683764

During the drying process of aromatic medicinal plants, essential oil losses in the form of free volatiles in the air mixture are inevitable. Preserving essential oil in the plant material after drying is a challenge and an important task for the medicinal aromatic plant producers and processors. Extraction and tailoring of the essential oil chemical profile such as oxygenated monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes and hydrocarbons monoterpene and sesquiterpenes in the volatile air mixture during drying in Salvia officinalis L. (Sage) is the main task of this proposal. Sage is one of the most important plants around the world used as a culinary herb and for medicinal purposes. During drying a considerable amount of volatile organic compounds are evaporating into the air and the degree of evaporation depends on drying temperature air velocity, product particle size or mechanical damage and drying method.No reports are available on Sage drying and essential oil extraction from volatile air mixture, quantity and quality of volatile in the drying air as well as their associated chemical composition when different drying temperatures or different drying methods are implemented. The objective of this study is to determine the flash drying effect of Salvia officinalis L. on the colour change, essential oil content and the antioxidant activity in the dried product as well as extracting and analysing the essential oil in the volatile drying air mixture. Tailoring of the essential oil chemical profile of the dried plants and essential oil in volatile air mixture as a function of drying temperature, airspeed and particle size is the fundamental research question. The flash drying method would be conducted in a laboratory custom designed drying device. The device will be fabricated near the natural site in order to have fresh material to conduct the experiments. The main methods for measuring the desired results would be focusing on essential oil extraction with hydrodistillation Clevenger –type apparatus, analysis of essential oil with GC-MS Analysis, conducting of microscopic imaging and colour change based on the CIE L*a*b* scale of fresh and dried products and the antioxidant activity will be measured in terms of hydrogen donating or radical scavenging ability by using a stable radical DPPH.Expected results are aiming at establishing a clear model relationship of essential oil on the dried product and the essential oil in the volatile air mixture. Tailoring of desired essential oil profile in the plant material and the essential oil in the volatile air mixture.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: Albania
• Host: Professor Dr. Ilirjan Malollari