Controle de qualidade dos óleos essenciais comerciais de Alecrim (Rosmarinus officinalis)

Abstract

Commercialized essential oils (EOs) may present quality problems as a result of adulterations, which may occur by the addition of low-priced synthetic compounds; mixing the essential oil with other oils of the same species of inferior quality, increasing the yield; dilution in a vehicle, such as a carrier oil. Based on this context, the choice to research this theme arose to identify the presence of adulterations in the SOs. This research had a general objective to analyze the quality of essential oils of Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) commercialized in Brazil, and a specific objective to analyze the information present in the packages of the OEs and to identify the possible adulterations. Six samples of EO from different brands were analyzed. For the packaging analysis, 10 aspects were analyzed, and the tests performed to identify adulteration were the fixed oil presence test, alcohol presence test and chromatographic analysis, following the methodology of the Brazilian Society of Pharmacognosy and the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia (2022). Sample 3 was the one with the most presence of the aspects evaluated on the packages, and sample 5 was the one with the most absence of these aspects. The test for the presence of fixed oil was positive for sample 4, and the test for the presence of alcohol was inconclusive. The chromatographic analysis confirmed the presence of chemotypes in samples 3 and 4, however, these samples also showed low levels of other components. The composition of all analyzed samples was in accordance with the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia (2022). It can be concluded that adulteration by fixed oil occurred in sample 4 through the tests carried out and that the information on its packaging is not consistent with the product sold. It is necessary to carry out more in-depth studies on this subject, due to the adulterations that may occur, to sell the product according to the information on the packaging.