Exploring the influence of different Froriepia subpinnata drying methods on its essential oils components

Abstract

Anarijeh (Froriepia subpinnata) is a species in the Apiaceae family, endemic to northern Iran, where it is widely distributed. In this study, we subjected the aerial parts of Anarijeh to various drying methods, including sun drying, shade drying, oven drying at 45 and 65 °C, microwave drying, and freeze drying. Essential oils (EOs) were extracted from both fresh and dried samples using hydro-distillation and analyzed via gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that oven drying at 45 °C (2.83%), oven drying at 65 °C (2.81%), sun drying (2.79%), and shade drying (2.74%) produced the highest EOs yields. In contrast, freeze-dried (1.42%), microwave-dried (1.39%), and fresh (1.34%) samples yielded lower percentages. A total of 53 components were identified in the EOs, with the major compounds being p-cymen-7-ol (10.3–19.95%), durenol (20.49–28.88%), and terpinolene (5.63–20.47%). These findings suggest that oven drying may be a suitable method for processing Anarijeh aerial parts, offering both shorter drying times and higher EOs yields. However, as no statistical analyses were conducted, we cannot definitively conclude that the differences between oven drying and shade drying are significant.