Evaluation of a Method of Separating Agarwood Absolute from Aquilaria crassna Pulp by Soxhlet and Soaking for Fixative Substance in Blending Fragrance
Le Huy Hai *
Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Food Technology, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Vietnam.
Le Mai Xuan Truc
Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Food Technology, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), Vietnam.
Nguyen Quoc Trung
Faculty of Chemistry, VNUHCM-University of Science, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Agarwood resin is a precious material that has been widely used in industry and life. The aim of this study is the evaluation of a method of separating Aquilaria crassna wood pulp with ethanol by Soxhlet and solvent immersion method for fixative substance in blending fragrance. Agarwood pulp of Aquilaria crassna tree is grown in Binh Thuan province, Vietnam. Our research team has extracted the Agarwood absolute F.1 and F.2 from Aquilaria crassna by Soxhlet extraction and soaking method. The fragrance is diluted 10 times by odorless solvent diethyl phthalate (DEP), then use paper and olfactory of the nose to evaluate the aroma. The yield of absolute Agarwood extracted by the method of Soxhlet is 5.56% weight. The yield of Agarwood absolute extracted by the method of soaking is 4.58% weight. Agarwood absolute F.1 is a fixative substance, which is capable of storing fragrance better than Agarwood absolute F.2. The scent of fragrance Fr.F.2 using Agarwood absolute F.2 is more like a natural scent than fragrance Fr.F.1 with fixative F.1. Separating Agarwood absolute F.1 from Aquilaria crassna pulp by Soxhlet provided yield and fixative capabilities higher than separating Agarwood absolute F.2 from Aquilaria crassna pulp by soaking. The scent of fragrance Fr.F.2 using Agarwood absolute F.2 is more like a natural scent than fragrance Fr.F.1 with Agarwood absolute F.1.
Keywords: Agarwood absolute, extraction, fragrance, natural fixative, soxhlet