Elena Stashenko

By Elena Stashenko and Jairo René Martínez

Part of the book: Advances in Gas Chromatography

By Elena Stashenko and Jairo René Martínez

A network of research groups has carried out a bioprospective study of Colombia’s vegetal biodiversity, with focus on aromatic plants. This chapter presents results on the chromatographic analysis of flower fragrances and essential oils obtained from vegetal material collected in botanical expeditions to various Colombian regions. Essential oils and flower fragrances are composed of volatile substances that differ greatly in polarity, functional groups, and relative amounts. The study of these complex mixtures requires special sampling and analysis techniques, described in this chapter. The large chemical diversity of the essential oil and flower fragrance constituents is a formidable characterization challenge. Typically, the number of essential oil components surpassed 50. It was rare to find an essential oil composition in which a single substance was present with a relative amount above 50%.

Part of the book: Potential of Essential Oils

By Elena Stashenko and Jairo René Martínez

Researchers from several Colombian universities have joined efforts for over 15 years to characterize the composition and biological properties of more than a thousand samples of essential oils (EOs) obtained from aromatic plants collected during at least 30 botanical outings in different regions of Colombia. This chapter presents a brief description of essential oil extraction and chemical characterization techniques, followed by a representative list of references to publications on EO composition obtained from tropical aromatic plants that grow in Colombia. Opportunities for the development of interesting products for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, hygiene, and food industries are illustrated with a few selected works on the evaluation of cytotoxicity, antioxidant, antiviral, antigenotoxic activities, and repellence of these essential oils.

Part of the book: Essential Oils

By Elena Stashenko and Jairo René Martínez

The average annual trade of over 250 thousand tons of essential oils generates over 250 million tons of distillation residues, posing environmental problems due to incineration or landfill overburden. The circular economy focuses on reducing resource inputs, waste generation, and pollution, for sustainability. Implementing circular economy principles not only mitigates environmental concerns but also creates economic opportunities by utilizing residual biomass. Nonvolatile secondary metabolites, like flavonoids and phenolic compounds, remain in plant material during essential oil distillation. These bioactive substances can be extracted from the biomass distillation residues. Instead of discarding or burning waste from essential oil production, it can be processed to make extracts. The residue can be converted into biochar, a carbon-rich material beneficial for soil improvement. Other end uses include generating combustible bio-oil and using distillation residues for mushroom cultivation. Circular economy practices in the essential oil agroindustry have implications beyond the field itself. By providing raw materials for various sectors and industries, such as agriculture, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals, this agroindustry can contribute to broader sustainability goals. While the adoption of circular economy principles presents technological challenges, the potential benefits in terms of waste reduction, value addition, and sustainability justify ongoing research and development efforts.

Part of the book: Essential Oils