Identification of Essential Oils

Essential oils are extracts from plants which are typically obtained by hydrodistillation. Chemically, they consist of a complex mixture of various compounds such as terpenes and phenylpropanoids. They are not only used in cosmetics but also as medicinal products and highly regulated by international as well as national laws and standards. Therefore, monitoring the quality of the oils is of vital importance for manufacturers as well as the processing industries.

Raman spectroscopy is a non-destructive method to quickly and easily identify essential oils.

Since this method is extremely sensitive to molecular composition it is also able to detect adulterations with cheaper oils as well as identify the chemotype of the oil, which may differ depending on the geographical region of origin of the oil. Anton Paar’s Cora 5001 Raman spectrometers are ideally suited for the identification and classification of essential oils. Their robustness and sensitivity together with the user-friendly software with guided workflows render essential oil analysis a safe, specific, and extremely fast process.