The extraction time and harvest moment are important information in the study of herbs. They can maximize the efficiency of the extraction process and the amount of essential oil produced. The objective of this study was to determine the time of hydrodistillation and evaluate the effect of the harvest moment on the content, yield and chemical composition of essential oil of Mentha x piperita var citrata. The treatments consisted of four extraction times (30, 60, 90 and 120 min) and five harvest moments (9:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00 hours) with four replications arranged in a randomized design. After 60 minutes of hydrodistillation in Clevenger apparatus the volume extracted stabilized. In relation to the harvest moment, a significant variation was observed in the essential oil content throughout the day, the highest value (1.33%) being found in samples taken at 13:00h. Variation in the chemical composition of essential oil was also noticed and higher contents of α-fenchol and cis-myrtanol were verified in the morning and in the afternoon, respectively.
Mentha x piperita var citrata; medicinal plants; α-fenchol; cis-myrtanol
