Abstract
The microwave heating characteristics of extraction mixtures consisting of rosemary or peppermint leaves suspended in hexane, ethanol and hexane + ethanol mixtures were studied. The temperature rises were found to depend on the dielectric properties of the solvents and the leaves in question. The rates of extraction of several essential oil constituents increased with increasing power output between ca 200 and 640 W but not in a proportional way. Scanning electron micrographs of the leaves showed that the extraction rates were related to structural changes in the oil-containing glands.

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