Prediction of essential oil content of oregano by hand-held and Fourier transform NIR spectroscopy.

Background: In the framework of a breeding programme, the analysis of hundreds of oregano samples to determine their essential oil content (EOC) is time-consuming and expensive in terms of labour. Therefore developing a new method that is rapid, accurate and less expensive to use would be an asset to breeders. The aim of the present study was to develop a method based on near-inrared (NIR) spectroscopy to determine the EOC of oregano dried powder.

Quantification of the total amount of artemisinin in leaf samples by thin layer chromatography.

Artemisinin is a natural molecule highly active against malaria. At present, the extraction of this molecule from the leaves of Artemisia annua L. remains the only viable method to produce cheaply large quantities of artemisinin.