Estudio de la influencia del sistema de concentración de un aceite esencial de naranja: efecto sobre su composición y perfil organoléptico

Essential oils are aromatic substances found in numerous plants. These can be extracted from different parts of the plants such as leaves, stems, flowers, fruits and roots. The orange essential oil is extracted from the orange peel and is usually used in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. The objective of this project is to evaluate the influence of two different systems of concentration of orange essential oil and to verify its effect on the composition of the oil and its organoleptic profile. The two concentration systems planned to be studied are on the one hand, a concentration by controlled distillation and, on the other hand, a concentration by adsorption on a column of silica gel. To compare the two concentrated orange essential oils obtained from the different methods, an analysis of basic parameters of the oil (density, content of decanal , refractive index) and a chromatographic analysis is carried out using a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrophotometer. These are complemented with the olfactory analysis of oils through rods and an organoleptic evaluation tasting the same ones applied in a drink. The results indicate that the concentrated oil by adsorption chromatography has a higher percentage of oxygenated compounds, which contribute more in the characteristic aroma, granting a more appreciated note of the oil smell and its application in a beverage. This method allows to obtain a concentrated orange essential oil of high quality, with stable characteristic compounds and, at the same time, innovative for the company. Unlike this, the exposure of the oil to high temperatures when concentrating by distillation eliminates compounds with a great aromatic impact such as octanal. Els olis essencials són substàncies aromàtiques que es troben en nombroses plantes. Poden ser extrets de les diferents parts com fulles, tiges, flors, fruits i arrels. L'oli essencial de taronja s'extreu de la pell de la taronja i sol ser utilitzat en la indústria alimentària, farmacèutica i cosmètica. L'objectiu del present projecte és avaluar la influència de dos sistemes diferents de concentració de l'oli essencial de taronja i comprovar el seu efecte sobre la composició de l'oli i el seu perfil organolèptic. Els dos sistemes estudiats són d'una banda una concentració per destil·lació controlada i, de l'altra, una concentració per cromatografia d'adsorció amb una columna de gel sílice. Per comparar els olis essencials de taronja concentrats de dif