The leaves of Origanum vulgare L. (Lamiaceae) harvested in different countr
ies, three samples from Hungary and one from Turkey, were extracted with ca
rbon dioxide in a high pressure apparatus with a 5 1 extractor vessel volum
e. Total extractions with stagewise precipitation of the extracts were carr
ied out in order to obtain essential oil-rich liquid and pasty products. A
fractionated extraction with a stepwise increase of the extraction pressure
was also performed to obtain portions of extracts of different quality. Th
e extraction with carbon dioxide was compared to conventional steam distill
ation and to Soxhlet extraction with hexane, whith the goal of recovering e
ssential oils and oleoresin products, respectively. (C) 1999 Published by E
lsevier Science Ltd on behalf of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and
Technology. All rights reserved.