What are the methods of producing herbal oils?

As it is known, herbal oils are frequently used in cosmetics, perfume and food industries. Different methods are used to obtain plant oils with effectively.

Distillation Method

Distillation is one of the pioneers of the basic separation processes that have been used for thousands of years, dating back to ancient times. Distillation is the separation process that takes advantage of the different volatilities (steam pressures) of the components that make up a mixture. It is the most used method in the production of essential oil. The process is carried out by applying water or water steam or both together.

1) Water distillation

2) Steam distillation

3) Water-steam distillation

Cold Press Method

Cold Press Method is the oldest technique. After the impurities in the oilseed raw material are cleaned, squeezing is performed in the presses without being exposed to high temperatures.

Oils produced by cold press technique are obtained without high heat treatment during the process and without using solvent during oil extraction from raw material. In this way, it becomes prominent in terms of nutritive values. Essential oils are generally produced by distillation from plant tissues, but citrus oils are produced by squeezing from citrus fruit peels.

Maceration Method

It is a traditional processes in extraction methodes. The process of keeping the raw material in a suitable solvent for a while, is called maceration. The plant material is taken into a closed container with the solvent. It is kept according to the desired time and temperature. Finally, filtering process is applied.