Determination of trace elements in the Lavender inflorescence (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) — Lavender oil system

Bulgaria is a famous world producer of essential oils. Quality control of the lavender oils produced is an important analytical task in view of their wide use in perfumery and cosmetics, the food industry and aromatherapy. The present paper studies the relationship between the trace elements content in lavender inflorescence (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) and in lavender oil derived from this inflorescence. Three model regions were investigated: two of them are situated far from industrial areas — the village of Zelenikovo and the town of Pavel Banya, and one region is located near the Plovdiv Non-Ferrous Metallurgical Plant. The content of the elements Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn and Pb in plants was determined after acid digestion by flame and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). Lavender oils were analyzed directly by ETAAS. The results undoubtedly show that there is no strong correlation between the trace elements content in inflorescence and in essential oils. It might be assumed that the trace elements present and accumulated in the inflorescence do not pass in lavender oil during the production by steam distillation.