Adulteration or natural variability? enantioselective gas chromatography in purity control of essential oils

Abstract

Abstract The potential of enantioselective capillary gas chromatography with modified cyclodextrins as chiral stationary phases for authenticity control is demonstrated for a selection of economically important essential oils. Adulteration can be easily detected in cases where enantiomerically pure constituents are present in natural oils. In cases of (naturally) varying enantiomeric compositions of chiral constituents, enantioselective gas chromatography may prove insufficient.