Influence of extraction technology on the volatile composition of Lavandula angustifolia essential oils

Lavandula angustifolia is an aromatic crop of industrial interest, and the composition of its essential oil can be affected by the extraction technology used to recover volatile fractions. This study compared three processing routes, hydrodistillation (HD), cold pressing of fresh flowers (CP-F), and cold pressing of dried flowers (CP-D), for their influence on the relative volatile profiles of Lavandula angustifolia oils using GC-MS analysis. Six cultivars were included to separate processing-related effects from cultivar variation. Across treatments, oxygenated monoterpenes represented the dominant fraction, followed by monoterpene hydrocarbons, esters, and sesquiterpenes. Hydrodistillation generally produced alcohol-rich profiles, with linalool exceeding 50% in several cases, whereas cold pressing was associated with a lower relative contribution of alcohol-type compounds and a higher contribution of selected esters. Linalyl anthranilate increased markedly under some CP treatments, reaching over 40% in specific cultivar-method combinations. Multivariate analysis showed that extraction technology was the main factor structuring the volatile profiles, while cultivar identity acted mainly as a secondary source of variation within method-defined groups. These findings indicate that process selection can influence not only oil recovery, but also the relative volatile fingerprint of lavender-derived oil fractions. The results support the valorization of Lavandula angustifolia as an industrial aromatic crop and suggest that cold pressing, particularly after drying, may provide a complementary low-temperature route for obtaining ester-enriched volatile profiles. The study is based on relative GC-MS composition and should be interpreted together with the stated limitations regarding yield, absolute quantification, and sensory validation.