Enrichmnent of patchoulol extracted from patchouli (Pogostemon cablin) oil by molecular distillation using response surface and artificial neural network models

[Display omitted] This work seeks to optimize the process of molecular distillation of patchouli oil to obtain patchoulol rich fractions, using response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN). Optimal conditions obtained by the central composite planning were evaporation temperature of 85°C, condenser temperature of 10°C, and agitation speed of 600 RPM. The conditions above generated a concentration of 62.344% of patchoulol in the residue, reaching a recovery of 74.22%. Results obtained by the ANN demonstrated a good predictive capacity, and can be used in conjunction with the RSM for the modeling of the patchoulol enrichment process.