The application of the more advanced methods for the extraction of agarwood resulted in saving of time and energy, and some improvement of product yield. These methods also lead to unconventional products with characteristic chemical compositions, what requires further investigations. | Vietnam Journal of Science and Technology 56 (4A) (2018) 266-272 COMPARATIVE STUDY ON VOLATILE COMPOUNDS OF AGARWOOD FROM KHANH HOA PROVINCE EXTRACTED BY DIFFERENT METHODS Dinh Thi Thu Thuy*, Tran Thi Tuyen, Nguyen Quyet Chien, Tran Thi Thu Thuy, Hoang Thi Bich, Tran Quoc Toan Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Ha Noi * Email: thuydt03@ Received: 24 July 2018; Accepted for publication: 3 October 2018 ABSTRACT Agarwood from Aquilaria crassna cultivated in Khanh Hoa province was extracted by 5 methods, including hydrodistillation, enzyme-assited, microwave-assisted hydrodistillation, extraction with solvent and supercritical carbon dioxide. The volatile compounds of the products were analyzed by GC-MS. Almost all samples contain some common characteristic components, such as benzylacetone, 10-epi-γ-eudesmol, agarospirol, valerianol, β-eudesmol, α-eudesmol, neopetasane, and dihydrokaranone. However, there were obvious differences in yields, composition, and number of identified components. The application of the more advanced methods for the extraction of agarwood resulted in saving of time and energy, and some improvement of product yield. These methods also lead to unconventional products with characteristic chemical compositions, what requires further investigations. Keywords: agarwood, Aquilaria crassna, essential oil, hydrodistillation, extraction. 1. INTRODUCTION Agarwood (also known as Aloeswood, Eaglewood and Gaharu, among many common names) is the highly valuable resinous and fragrant heartwood of the Aquilaria, a genus of the Thymelaeaceae family which has damage on trunks or branches of the trees. Agarwood and its essential oil can be used to produce incenses for religious ceremonies, perfumes and medicines. Nineteen species are found in the areas from India eastward throughout the Southeast Asia, south China. In Vietnam, four species, A. crassna Pierre ex. Lecomte, .
