EXTRACTION OF ESSENTIAL OIL FROM ALBANIAN CHAMOMILE EXTRACTION OF ESSENTIAL OIL FROM ALBANIAN CHAMOMILE PLANT BY WATER DISTILLATION METHOD AND ITS CHARACTERIZATION BY FTIR SPECTROSCOPY

Albania is rich in biological and ecological diversity and it is mentioned for its natural bio-resources such as medicinal and cosmetic plants. Albania is as well a considerable producer of wild herbs and spices, including sage, raspberry, oregano, and chamomile. It is well known that the extraction of bio-organic compounds from herbs can be performed by water distillation method. The latter is a special type of distillation for temperature sensitive substances such as natural aromatic compounds. Additionally, it is an environmentally friendly method. Oil extracts of chamomile plant obtained by water distillation were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy. Analyses by IR spectroscopy technique indicated presence of matricine (chamazulene) and dicycloether.