Extraction and Aromatics of Essential Oil from Passion Fruit Peels

  Objective  Essential oil was extracted from peels of passion fruits, and its aromatic compounds determined for potential applications.

  Method  The essential oil was obtained using a steam extraction, and the volatiles collected by the solid phase micro extraction and analyzed by GC-MS with the aid of NIST/WILEY followed by verification with reference database.

  Result  A total of 263 chemicals were detected that consisted of alkanes (31.05%), esters (30.46%), acids (20.88%), alcohols (7.46%), aldehydes (3.76%), and ketones (1.54%). The aromatics were hexyl caproate, hexanol hexanoate, octyl butyrate, geranyl butyrate, dodecanoic acid-ethyl ester, citronellol, menthol, etc.

  Conclusion  In addition to the aromas of apple, pear, orange, melon, lemon, peach, cherry, citrus, and coconut, a variety of flavoring elements in grass, flower, nut, wine, and medicine were also existed in the essential oil. It appeared that the passion fruit peels could be utilized as raw material for making spices, food ingredients, health food, and/or cosmetics.