Development Methods for Using High-Pressure Extractors Extraction and Automatic Steam Distillers Distillation for <em>Aronia mitschurinii,</em> Juvenile Ginger, and Holy Basil Plants

High-pressure extraction and automatic steam distillation are relatively new methods of preparing analytical samples from plant materials. Due to their high reproducibility, low time consumption, and ability to run several parallel samples, they are becoming increasingly popular in phytochemistry. However, most plant extraction methods predate the engineering of high-pressure extraction and automatic wet distillation. However, the extractions produced must be in the most optimal condition, and development methods must be comparable to results produced by classic extraction methods. Here, we present the development method for three types of plant materials: aronia, holy basil, and juvenile ginger. Aronia berries are well-known for their phenolic antioxidant content and may serve as a model for many other similar crops. Holy basil, a medicinal herb, is a potent source of essential oils. Juvenile ginger represents crops where rhizomes or roots are used. Classic extractions were first performed to assess antioxidant content. Then, high-pressure extraction methods were tuned to produce extracts with similar concentrations. For automatic steam distillation, method development was performed to obtain the highest possible yield of essential oils. We evaluate the dependence of the yield/concentration of essential oils and/or antioxidants as a function of each variable parameter of the instrument.