Enfleurage extraction
 

The enfleurage method is generally used only for extracting extremely heat sensitive volatile oils or essential oils such as Jasmine (Jasmine officinalis), neroli (Citrus vulagaris) and Rose (Rosa Spp.)

Essentials oils are the fragrant oils that are present in many plants. Used as perfumes, food flavorings, medicines and as fragrant and antiseptics additives in many common products. They are produced by using several techniques such as steam disttilitinan, solvent extraction, turbo distillation and enfleueage.

There are some flowers such as Jasmine or Tuberose, have such low contents of essential oils or are so delicate that heating them would destroy the blossoms before releasing the essential oils. I such cases, an expensive and lengthy process called enfleurage is some times used to remove the essentials oils.

METHOD: - Glass plates in a frame (called a chassis) are covered with highly purified and odorless vegetable or animal fat and the petals of the botanical matter that are being extracted are spread across it and pressed in. The flowers are normally freshly picked before so encased in their fatty bed.

The petals remain in this greasy compound for a few days to allow the essence to disperse into the compound, where the then depleted petals are removed and replaced with a fresh harvest of petals.

This process is repeated until the greasy mix is saturated with the essence, and needs to be repeated a couple of times until saturation is achieved.

When the mix has reached saturation point the flowers are removed and the enfleurage pomade - the fat and fragrant oil - then washed with alcohol to separate the extract from the remaining fat.

As soon as the alcohol evaporates from the mixture you are left with the essential oil.