Using a simple spectrophotometer to analyze cypress hydrolat composition.

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Natural Product Chemistry

Background:

• Taiwan cypress hydrolat (Pure Dew) exhibits bactericidal properties.
• High costs associated with quality control and concentration measurement limit its application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify spectral frequencies for reliable concentration measurement of cypress hydrolat.
• To develop a cost-effective quality control method using spectrophotometry.

Main Methods:

• Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrophotometry (GC-MS) was used to analyze hydrolat composition.
• Hydrolat samples were diluted to varying concentrations (100, 50, 25, 0% v/v).
• Spectrophotometry was employed to measure absorbance across different wavelengths.

Main Results:

• The spectral range of 205-350 nm proved most representative for absorbance detection.
• A roughly linear relationship was observed between absorbance and cypress hydrolat concentration.
• Simple spectrophotometry can serve as a viable tool for concentration assessment.

Conclusions:

• Spectrophotometry offers a low-cost, high-efficiency method for determining Taiwan cypress hydrolat concentration.
• This facilitates broader application of cypress hydrolat by simplifying quality control.
• Further development can optimize this technique for industrial use.