Extraction and characterization of Eucalyptus globulus essential oil using steam and ethyl acetate

Abstract

In the agroindustrial valorization of natural products, obtaining essential oils requires reproducible protocols that safeguard phytochemical quality while reducing environmental externalities associated with the process. An extraction and qualitative characterization of essential oil from Eucalyptus globulus Labill. (white eucalyptus) was developed using steam distillation and purification with ethyl acetate at the Agroindustrial Technology Center of University of San Simón, as an applied practice of the Diploma in Biodiversity for the Production of Plants with Medicinal and Insecticidal Properties. The guiding question focused on determining the yield obtained and the qualitative evidence supporting the presence of 1,8-cineole under explicit operational conditions. The assay was conducted on two batches totaling 2 277 g of biomass, with steam exposure times of 60 and 180 minutes, recovering 29.5 mL of essential oil; the longer-duration batch contributed the main volume and increased the yield per batch. Organoleptic evaluation recorded an oil with pale yellow color, fresh and mentholated aroma, and absence of visible impurities after clarification. Thin-layer chromatography, using hexane:ethyl acetate (8:2) eluent and revelation with anisaldehyde-sulfuric acid, showed a pattern compatible with oxygenated monoterpenes and identified 1.8-cineole as the predominant component (approximate Rf 0.65). Overall, the results support the technical feasibility of the extraction–purification–qualitative verification scheme and provide a transferable methodological basis for educational, community, or small-scale contexts requiring process traceability and initial quality control.