Orris rhizomes

OUs of orris rhizome (Iris pallida Lam. or Ms germanica L.) - Determination of irone content - Method using gas chromatography on a capU-lary colnmn... 

Orris rhizomes, to manufacture orris concrete (butter) and absolute. The optimization of the ageing process has been effected after having analyzed and processed rhizomes at all stages of growing and preparation. 

Italian orris rhizomes (Iris pallida L.) most are dried and aged unpeeled. 

Orris rhizomes of both Italian and Moroccan origins are hydrodistilled in water (P) to provide an essential oil. Orris essential oils, which are solid at room temperature, are frequently misnamed concretes. They also go by the name of orris butter, which is explained by their butter-like texture. A subsequent purification step by alcohol extraction into an absolute eliminates the fatty acids from the essential oil (butter, concrete). 

The classical cultivation of orris rhizomes and their subsequent preparation into an essential oil, is a very long process, consisting of ... 

Irone formation in ageing rhizomes has been described by Jaenicke al. in the early 1980 s. (lOJl) The objective of this study was to obtain a better understanding of the ageing mechanisms in orris and the development of an improved industrial pathway that could generate a maximum of the desirable irones. Accomplishing this objective required developing analytical methods to quantify the irones in lots of orris rhizomes and to also quantify potential irones present in the rhizomes as precursors. 

Ground orris rhizomes to which an internal standard was added were extracted with hexane under reflux (Figure 3). After hexane concentration, irones were quantified by gas chromatography, following the French test standard NFT 75-424 (October 1996). This lab method provides results that correlate well with data obtained for actual industrial scale productions. The laboratory quantification method is useful for predicting industrial yields and is used as a guide for purchasing lots of orris rhizomes. 

Method to Quantify Irones Precursors in Orris Rhizomes... 

HPLC Experimental Conditions for Orris Rhizome Analysis... 

Figure 6. HPLC of an Extract Orris Rhizomes Aged 4 Years. Note that even after a long ageing period, irone precursors are not completely transformed into...

Traditional Ageing of Orris Rhizomes and its Effect on Irone Formation... 

A large number of orris rhizomes were analyzed from 2 Italian sources ... 

For each lot of orris rhizomes, both the existing irones and the irones potentially present as a precursors have been quantified. The results obtained for dried Italian orris rhizomes aged from one to four years are listed in Table III. 

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