A study on volatile components from ethanolic extract of agarwood (oleoresin) is the aim of this research. Agarwood oleoresin was extracted from agarwood chips (a part of the Aquilaria crassna trees) by ethanol extraction. Artificial agarwood chips from the Aquilaria crassna trees (at Quang Nam province) were used for extraction. The characteristic of Agarwood oleoresin was analyzed by FT-IR (Fourier-Transform Infra-Red) and the volatile components were determined by Py-GC/MS (Pyrolysis - Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry). Agarwood oleoresin contains some common characteristic components, such as benzyl acetone (10.9%), β-Guaiene (9.18%), Eudesma-4(14),7(11)-diene, Eudesma-4(14),11(13)-diene-12-al (6.39%) and γ-Eudesmol (3.65%). The ethanol extraction yield can be reached 1.5% wt, this value depends on the origin of agarwood, methods, and extraction solvent. In addition, some of the valuable medicinal constituents in agarwood can be obtained by ethanol solvent extraction.

Key words: Oleoresin; Agarwood; Aquilaria Crassna; Ethanol extraction