Isolation of essential oil and supercritical carbon dioxide extract of Juniperus communis L. fruits from Montenegro

Ripe fruits (berries) of common juniper ( Juniperus communis L.) from northern Montenegro were extracted by hydrodistillation and by supercritical carbon dioxide (SC‐CO 2 ) in a single‐stage separation system. The composition of the extracts was evaluated by GC‐FID and GC‐MS. A total of 38 different compounds were identified and significant differences (qualitative and quantitative) were observed between the hydrodistilled oil and the SC‐CO 2 extracts. In the hydrodistilled oil, major compounds were: α ‐pinene (28.6–38.2%), sabinene (15.7–20.5%) and myrcene (7.2–18.2%). In the SC‐CO 2 extracts, major compounds were: α ‐pinene (7.7–30.3%), myrcene (4.5–20.5%) and germacrene B and D (∼6%). The analysis of the results has shown that the grinding process has a significant influence on the yield and chemical composition of essential oil. In SC‐CO 2 extraction different pressures were applied and the best process performance regarding chemical composition of the extract and its organoleptic quality was obtained at 90 bar and 40 C in the extraction vessel.