Essential oil and by-products of distillation of bay leaves ( Laurus nobilis L.) from Argentina

Preliminary chemical studies were undertaken during one year on plant materials collected in a 40 ha field located in Henderson, Province of Buenos Aires, in order to determine the technical viability of the industrial production of essential oil from bay leaves ( Laurus nobilis L., Lauraceae) growing in Argentina. The oils were extracted at a pilot scale plant and analyzed by GC–FID-MS. The apparent density of the plant material used for the distillation ranged from 90 g L −1 to 170 g L −1, depending on the type of material. The quality of the volatile oils obtained complied with market requirements and were in agreement with values reported from other countries. No considerable variations were observed in the chemical composition of the oils throughout the year. Taking in account the composition of the sub-fractions obtained during the distillation process, the quality of the final essential oil can be adjusted by fractional distillation. The occurrence of alcohol terpenes and phenols in the condensed waters (hydrolate) makes them a possible alternative to be used in industry. Moreover, and due to the good energetic and digestibility values obtained, our results showed that the exhausted plant material obtained after distillation could be a putative fibrous feed for ruminants. Both, hydrolate and exhausted plant materials are resources that can enhance added values in new endeavours. This is the first report on bay leaves essential oil production at industrial scale in Argentina.