ABSTRACT
The enantiomeric distribution of the components of essential oils can provide useful information on the determination of authenticity, quality, extraction technique used, geographic origin and biogenesis of the oils. Moreover, it has been proved that enantiomers can possess different biological activity. The most suitable method for determining the enantiomeric ratio of volatile compounds is high resolution gas chromatography (HRGC). Modified cyclodextrins (CD), either pure or diluted in polysiloxanes, are today the most widely used chiral stationary phases in HRGC.
