Abstract

The yield and chemical composition of essential oils from medicinal plants are related to a variety of internal and external factors, for example, the drying process. Drying is the most common way to preserve quality of aromatic and medicinal plants. The choice of the optimal drying air temperature is a central economic and ecological criterion. Most experimental studies focus on species with essential oils, revealing increasing essential oil losses with increasing temperature. However, there are differences in temperature sensitivity between species. Objective of this work was to develop a review of drying process, focusing in assisting research on aromatic and medicinal plants. This review compiles experimental studies in terms of effect of drying air temperature on active ingredients at different drying conditions.

Key words: Active ingredient, essential oil, drying temperature.