Fluorescence enhancement of two terpenes commonly present in essential oils

The fluorescence spectra of anethole and eugenol dissolved in methanol-aqueous binary systems with the addition of alpha- and beta-cyclodextrin were studied. Observed enhancement of the fluorescence intensity is possibly due to the higher quantum yield of the cyclodextrin-hydrocarbon inclusion complexes. The measured fluorescence intensities for eugenol and anethole in the presence of alpha- and beta-cyclodextrin were processed using principal component analysis. The results obtained suggest 1:1 and 2:1 complexation, as confirmed by a double reciprocal plot for terpenes complexed to cyclodextrins. In both cases (anethole and eugenol) detection limits were improved after addition of cyclodextrins. This phenomenon can be applied for improvement of direct fluorescence and HPLC-fluorescence assays.