Influence of fluctuating drying conditions during shade-, sun- and solar-drying on the quality of Lavandula officinalis L., Origanum syriacum L. and Thymbra spicata L.

WOS: 000254734100003L. officinalis, O. syriacum und T. spicata are increasingly cultivated in Turkey because of their essential oils. Due to the lack of drying facilities, drying is frequently performed directly in the sun or in the shade. Solar-drying would be an alternative. Objective of the research was to investigate the influence of the fluctuating drying conditions during shade-, sun- and solar-drying on drug quality in comparison with drying at a constant temperature of 40 degrees C. Essential oil content was analysed by Neo-Clevenger-distillation and flavor by Solid-Phase Micro-Extraction (SPME). In terms of essential oil content, results have shown that only for T spicata shade-drying is superior to the other methods. For L. officinalis and O. syriacum equal or higher oil contents were found for sun-drying and best results were achieved by solar-drying. In terms of flavor, slight shifts in the composition have been recorded for the different drying methods