Rose water distillation

Milja Helenius; Maija Aksela; Anu Hopia; Erik Fooladi

doi:10.31129/lumat.v1i2.1113

Authors

Milja Helenius Unit of Chemistry Teacher Education, Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Finland • milja.helenius@helsinki.fi
Maija Aksela Unit of Chemistry Teacher Education, Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Finland • maija.aksela@helsinki.fi
Anu Hopia Functional Foods Forum, University of Turku, Finland • anu.hopia@gmail.com
Erik Fooladi Volda University College & Norwegian Centre for Science Education, Norway • ef@hivolda.no

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31129/lumat.v1i2.1113

Abstract

Steam distillation has been used for over two thousand years to isolate the scent of flowers. Rose water is nowadays a rather uncommon ingredient in European cuisine but it is common in, for example, Arabic recipes. The quality of flower distilled waters has improved due to advances in distillation techniques, allowing for better salvaging of flavourings. The aim of this work is to use two different kinds of distillation equipment, modern laboratory distillation equipment and homemade kitchen equipment, and to compare the scents of distilled rose waters. The work is suitable for teaching chemistry in upper secondary school and, if simplified slightly, in secondary school as well.