Microwave accelerated steam distillation of essential oil from lavender: A rapid, clean and environmentally friendly approach

A new process design and operation for microwave accelerated steam distillation (MASD) of essential oils was developed. A packed bed of lavender flowers (Lavandula angustifolia Mill., Lamiaceae) sits above the steam source generated by microwave heating. Only steam passes through it without the boiling water mixing with vegetable raw material, as is the case in hydro-distillation. MASD has been compared with a conventional technique, steam distillation (SD), for the extraction of essential oil from lavender flowers. Extraction of essential oils from lavender with MASD was better than SD in terms of energy saving, rapidity (10 min versus 90 min), product yield, cleanliness and product quality.     

Eco-friendly and cleaner process for isolation of essential oil using microwave energy: Experimental and theoretical study

Microwave steam diffusion (MSD) was developed as a cleaner and new process design and operation for isolation of essentials oils and was compared to conventional steam diffusion (SD). The essential oils extracted by MSD for 3 min were quantitatively (yield) and qualitatively (aromatic profile) similar to those obtained by conventional steam diffusion for 20 min. In addition, an optimal operating steam flow rate of 25 g min⁻¹ and microwave power 200 W were found to ensure complete extraction yield with reduced extraction time. To confirm the efficiency of this process a mathematical model was proposed to describe the mass transfer of essential oil from lavender. Solid-steam mass transfer coefficients obtained by MSD were six times higher than obtained by SD. Scanning electronic microscopy was used to confirm the extraction mechanism of the essential oil present in the glandular trichomes of the flowers from lavender outer surface. MSD was better than SD in terms of energy saving, cleanliness and reduced waste water.     

Microwave extraction of essential oils from dried fruits of Illicium verum Hook. f. and Cuminum cyminum L. using ionic liquid as the microwave absorption medium

Ionic liquid was used as microwave absorption medium and applied to the extraction of essential oils from dried fruits of the Illicium verum Hook. f. and Cuminum cyminum L. by microwave‐assisted extraction. The extraction time is less than 15 min at the microwave power of 440 W. The constituents of essential oils obtained by the proposed method were compared with those obtained by hydrodistillation. There is no obvious difference in the constituents of essential oils obtained by the two methods.     

Rapid Extraction of Essential Oil from Dried Cinnamomum cassia Presl and Forsythia suspensa(Thunb.)Vahl by Ionic Liquid Microwave Extraction

Ionic liquid (IL) was used as the microwave absorption medium to extract essential oils from dried Cinnamomum cassia Presl and Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl, and the ionic liquid microwave extraction (ILME) was developed. Some experimental parameters for ILME were examined. The proposed method was compared with other methods, including hydrodistillation (HD), microwave hydrodistillation (MHD), solvent‐free microwave extraction (SFME) and improved solvent‐free microwave extraction (ISFME). Experimental results showed that compared with other extraction methods the ILME had some advantages, such as time‐saving, simplicity and usage of green solvents. The extraction time was less than 18 min at the microwave power of 440 W and 1.5 mL of ionic liquid was required. The constituents of essential oils obtained by the five methods are not obviously different.     

Solvent-free microwave extraction of essential oil from aromatic herbs: comparison with conventional hydro-distillation

Solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME) is a combination of microwave heating and dry distillation, performed at atmospheric pressure without added any solvent or water. Isolation and concentration of volatile compounds are performed by a single stage. SFME has been compared with a conventional technique, hydro-distillation (HD), for the extraction of essential oil from three aromatic herbs: basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), garden mint (Mentha crispa L.), and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.). The essential oils extracted by SFME for 30min were quantitatively (yield) and qualitatively (aromatic profile) similar to those obtained by conventional hydro-distillation for 4.5 h. The SFME method yields an essential oil with higher amounts of more valuable oxygenated compounds, and allows substantial savings of costs, in terms of time, energy and plant material. SFME is a green technology and appears as a good alternative for the extraction of essential oils from aromatic plants.     

Comparison of microwave-assisted and conventional hydrodistillation in the extraction of essential oils from mango (Mangifera indica L.) flowers

Microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD) is an advanced hydrodistillation (HD) technique, in which a microwave oven is used in the extraction process. MAHD and HD methods have been compared and evaluated for their effectiveness in the isolation of essential oils from fresh mango (Mangifera indica L.) flowers. MAHD offers important advantages over HD in terms of energy savings and extraction time (75 min against 4 h). The composition of the extracted essential oils was investigated by GC-FID and GC-MS. Results indicate that the use of microwave irradiation did not adversely influence the composition of the essential oils. MAHD was also found to be a green technology.     

Optimization of microwave-assisted hydro-distillation essential oil extracted from Rumex Crispus leaves using definitive screening design

Conversion of nonfood natural products to value-added products is an important work, which is going on worldwide. In addition, to obtain a product with better quality, a sufficient separation method is helpful to improve its utilization value by using effective, rapid and environmentally friendly techniques. Thus in this work, the microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD) process of essential oils from important natural plant Rumex Crispus leaves was investigated. The experimental design and extraction conditions were optimized using a definitive screening design. The yield of essential oils of 4.67 ± 0.02 % was investigated under the optimum conditions; 534.89 W of microwave power, 23.48 min of hydrodistillation time and 4.5 mL/g of the volume of water to plant mass ratio. Under these conditions, the essential oils were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Results revealed that the essential oil extracted by MAHD possessed high quality as proved by its higher percentage of oxygenated compounds. In addition, α-santol (29.63 %) and β-santol (25.60 %) are the primary components of oxygenated compounds in essential oils. In conclusion, the MAHD was successfully employed to obtain mainly Oxygenated compounds-rich essential oil that may be used in several industrial applications. Subsequently, a definitive screening design may be regarded as an alternative and reliable method for the prediction of experimental parameters. It was concluded that the weeds plant (Rumex Crispus) contains a reliable quantity of oils that is extremely feasible to use and recommended as good feedstock for possible use in industrial applications.     

Improved microwave steam distillation apparatus for isolation of essential oils. Comparison with conventional steam distillation

Steam distillation (SD) is routinely used by analysts for the isolation of essential oils from herbs, flowers and spices prior to gas chromatographic analysis. In this work, a new process design and operation for an improved microwave steam distillation (MSD) of essential oils from aromatic natural products was developed. To demonstrate its feasibility, MSD was compared with the conventional technique, SD, for the analysis of volatile compounds from dry lavender flowers (Lavandula angustifolia Mill., Lamiaceae). Essential oils isolated by MSD were quantitatively (yield) and qualitatively (aromatic profile) similar to those obtained by SD, but MSD was better than SD in terms of rapidity (6 min versus 30 min for lavender flowers), thereby allowing substantial savings of costs in terms of time and energy. Lavender flowers treated by MSD and SD were observed by scanning electron microscopy. Micrographs provide evidence of more rapid opening of essential oil glands treated by MSD, in contrast to conventional SD.     

Rapid Extraction of Volatile Compounds Using a New Simultaneous Microwave Distillation: Solvent Extraction Device

Simultaneous distillation–extraction (SDE) is routinely used by analysts for sample preparation prior to gas chromatography analysis. In this work, a new process design and operation for microwave assisted simultaneous distillation–solvent extraction (MW-SDE) of volatile compounds was developed. Using the proposed method, isolation, extraction and concentration of volatile compounds can be carried out in a single step. To demonstrate its feasibility, MW-SDE was compared with the conventional technique, SDE, for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of volatile compounds in a fresh aromatic herb, Zygophyllum album L., a wild salty desert herb belonging to the family Zygophyllaceae. SDE method required a long time (3 h) to isolate the volatile compounds, and large amounts of organic solvent (200 mL of hexane) for further extraction, while MW-SDE needed shorter time (only 30 min) to prepare the sample, and less amount of organic solvent (10 mL of hexane). These results show that MW-SDE–GC-MS is a simple, rapid and solvent-less method for the determination of volatile compounds from aromatic plants.     

Accelerated sample treatment for screening of banned doping substances by GC–MS: ultrasonication versus microwave energy

A comparison between ultrasonication and microwave irradiation as tools to achieve a rapid sample treatment for the analysis of banned doping substances in human urine by means of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was performed. The following variables were studied and optimised: (i) time of treatment, (ii) temperature, (iii) microwave power and (iv) ultrasonic amplitude. The results were evaluated and compared with those achieved by the routine method used in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited Antidoping Laboratory of Rome. Only under the effect of the ultrasonic field was it possible to enhance the enzymatic hydrolysis reaction rate of conjugated compounds. Similar reaction yield to the routine method was achieved after 10 min for most compounds. Under microwave irradiation, denaturation of the enzyme occurs for high microwave power. The use of both ultrasonic or microwave energy to improve the reaction rate of the derivatisation of the target compounds with trimethyliodosilane/methyl-N-trimethylsilyltrifluoroacetamide (TMSI/MSTFA/NH₄I/2-mercaptoethanol) was also evaluated. To test the use of the two systems in the acceleration of the reaction with TMSI, a pool of 55 banned substances and/or their metabolites were used. After 3 min of ultrasonication, 34 of the 55 compounds had recoveries similar to those obtained with the classic procedure that lasts for 30 min (Student’s t test, n = 5), 18 increased to higher silylation yields, and for the compounds 13β,17α-diethyl-3α,17β-dihydroxy-5α-gonane (norboletone metabolite 1), metoprolol and metipranolol the same results were obtained increasing the ultrasonication time to 5 min. Similar results were obtained after 3 min of microwave irradiation at 1,200 W. In this case, 30 of the 55 compounds had recoveries similar to the classic procedure (Student’s t test, n = 5) whilst 18 had higher silylation yields. For the compounds 3α-hydroxy-1α-methyl-5α-androstan-17-one (mesterolone metabolite 1), 17α-ethyl-5β-estrane-3α,17β,21-triol (norethandrolone metabolite 1), epioxandrolone, 4-chloro-6β,17β-dihydroxy-17α-methyl-1,4-androstadien-3-one (chlormetandienone metabolite 1), carphedon, esmolol and bambuterol the same results were obtained after 5 min under microwave irradiation.     

Microwave hydrodiffusion and gravity, a new technique for extraction of essential oils

A new process design and operation for the extraction of essential oils was developed. Microwave hydrodiffusion and gravity (MHG) is a combination of microwaves for hydrodiffusion of essential oils from the inside to the exterior of biological material and earth gravity to collect and separate. MHG is performed at atmospheric pressure without adding any solvent or water. MHG has been compared with a conventional technique, hydrodistillation (HD), for the extraction of essential oil from two aromatic herbs: spearmint (Mentha spicata L.) and pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium L.) belonging to the Labiatae family. The essential oils extracted by MHG for 15 min were quantitatively (yield) and qualitatively (aromatic profile) similar to those obtained by conventional hydrodistillation for 90 min. MHG also prevents pollution through potential 90% of energy saved which can lead to greenhouse gas emission benefits.     

Rapid analysis of the essential oils from dried Illicium verum Hook. f. and Zingiber officinale Rosc. by improved solvent-free microwave extraction with three types of microwave-absorption medium

A new method of extracting essential oils from dried plant materials has been studied. By adding a microwave-absorption medium (MAM) to a reactor, solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME) was improved and can be used to extract essential oils from dried plant material without pretreatment. With a microwave irradiation power of 85 W it took only approximately 30 min to extract the essential oils completely. The whole extraction process is simple, rapid, and economical. Three types of MAM, iron carbonyl powder (ICP), graphite powder (GP), and activated carbon powder (ACP), and two types of dried plant material, Illicium verum Hook. f. and Zingiber officinale Rosc., were studied. The results were compared with those obtained by use of conventional SFME, microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD), and conventional hydrodistillation (HD), and the conclusion drawn was that improved SFME was a feasible means of extracting essential oils from dried plant materials, because there were few differences between the composition of the essential oils extracted by improved SFME and by the other methods.     

An improved microwave Clevenger apparatus for distillation of essential oils from orange peel

Microwave Clevenger or microwave accelerated distillation (MAD) is a combination of microwave heating and distillation, performed at atmospheric pressure without added any solvent or water. Isolation and concentration of volatile compounds are performed by a single stage. MAD extraction of orange essential oil was studied using fresh orange peel from Valencia late cultivar oranges as the raw material. MAD has been compared with a conventional technique, which used a Clevenger apparatus with hydro-distillation (HD). MAD and HD were compared in term of extraction time, yields, chemical composition and quality of the essential oil, efficiency and costs of the process. Extraction of essential oils from orange peels with MAD was better in terms of energy saving, extraction time (30 min versus 3 h), oxygenated fraction (11.7% versus 7.9%), product yield (0.42% versus 0.39%) and product quality. Orange peels treated by MAD and HD were observed by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). Micrographs provide evidence of more rapid opening of essential oil glands treated by MAD, in contrast to conventional hydro-distillation.     

Application of factorial design and Box-Behnken matrix in the optimisation of a microwave-assisted extraction of essential oils from Salvia mirzayanii

Essential oil of Salvia mirzayanii cultivated in Iran was obtained by microwave assisted extraction (MAE) procedures. The essential oil was analysed by capillary gas chromatography using flame ionisation and mass spectrometric detections. The effects of different parameters, such as microwave power, temperature, time and type of solvent on the MAE of Salvia mirzayanii oil were investigated. Results of the two-level fractional factorial design (2(4-1)) based on an analysis of variance demonstrated that only the power, temperature and type of solvent were statistically significant. Optimal conditions for the extraction of essential oils were obtained by using Box-Behnken design. For optimum recovery of essential oil the variables power, temperature and solvent values were 115?W, 50°C and 14?s, respectively. Under the optimised experimental conditions, the extraction yield of microwave assisted extraction was 11.2% (w/w).     

A surprising method for green extraction of essential oil from dry spices: Microwave dry-diffusion and gravity

Without adding any solvent or water, we proposed a novel and green approach for the extraction of secondary metabolites from dried plant materials. This "solvent, water and vapor free" approach based on a simple principle involves the application of microwave irradiation and earth gravity to extract the essential oil from dried caraway seeds. Microwave dry-diffusion and gravity (MDG) has been compared with a conventional technique, hydrodistillation (HD), for the extraction of essential oil from dried caraway seeds. Essential oils isolated by MDG were quantitatively (yield) and qualitatively (aromatic profile) similar to those obtained by HD, but MDG was better than HD in terms of rapidity (45min versus 300min), energy saving, and cleanliness. The present apparatus permits fast and efficient extraction, reduces waste, avoids water and solvent consumption, and allows substantial energy savings.     

“In situ” extraction of essential oils by use of Dean–Stark glassware and a Vigreux column inside a microwave oven: a procedure for teaching green analytical chemistry

One of the principal objectives of sustainable and green processing development remains the dissemination and teaching of green chemistry in colleges, high schools, and academic laboratories. This paper describes simple glassware that illustrates the phenomenon of extraction in a conventional microwave oven as energy source and a process for green analytical chemistry. Simple glassware comprising a Dean-Stark apparatus (for extraction of aromatic plant material and recovery of essential oils and distilled water) and a Vigreux column (as an air-cooled condenser inside the microwave oven) was designed as an in-situ extraction vessel inside a microwave oven. The efficiency of this experiment was validated for extraction of essential oils from 30 g fresh orange peel, a by-product in the production of orange juice. Every laboratory throughout the world can use this equipment. The microwave power is 100 W and the irradiation time 15 min. The method is performed at atmospheric pressure without added solvent or water and furnishes essential oils similar to those obtained by conventional hydro or steam distillation. By use of GC-MS, 22 compounds in orange peel were separated and identified; the main compounds were limonene (72.1%), β-pinene (8.4%), and γ-terpinene (6.9%). This procedure is appropriate for the teaching laboratory, does not require any special microwave equipment, and enables the students to learn the skills of extraction, and chromatographic and spectroscopic analysis. They are also exposed to a dramatic visual example of rapid, sustainable, and green extraction of an essential oil, and are introduced to successful sustainable and green analytical chemistry.     

Development of direct microwave desorption/gas chromatography mass spectrometry system for rapid analysis of volatile components in medicinal plants

A new direct microwave desorption–gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry method was developed for the analysis of the essential oils of medicinal plants. A homemade direct microwave desorption system was fabricated and used for the desorption of volatile components of medicinal herbs. The desorbed volatiles are transferred directly into the gas chromatography injector for analysis in a one‐step process. Approximately 0.3 g of the herb was needed for the desorption of samples in 60 s. In this study, more than 53 volatile compounds were identified and quantified for Echinophora platyloba DC as model herb sample. The results were found to be in good agreement with the conventional hydrodistillation extraction data. The described results show that direct microwave desorption is fast, simple, and easy to automate and requires only a small amount of sample. The results indicate that essential oil components valuable for varietal identification and characteristic of each variety analyzed when direct microwave desorption–gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry was used for analysis.     

Comparison of different extraction methods for the determination of essential oils and related compounds from aromatic plants and optimization of solid-phase microextraction/gas chromatography

Different extraction methods for the subsequent gas chromatographic determination of the composition of essential oils and related compounds from marjoram (Origanum majorana L.), caraway (Carum carvi L.), sage (Salvia officinalis L.), and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) have been compared. The comparison was also discussed with regard to transformation processes of genuine compounds, particularly in terms of expenditure of time. Hydrodistillation is the method of choice for the determination of the essential oil content of plants. For investigating the composition of genuine essential oils and related, aroma-active compounds, hydrodistillation is not very useful, because of discrimination and transformation processes due to high temperatures and acidic conditions. With cold solvent extraction, accelerated solvent extraction, and supercritical fluid extraction, discrimination of high and non-volatile aroma-active components as well as transformation processes can be diminished, but non-aroma-active fats, waxes, or pigments are often extracted, too. As solid-phase microextraction is a solvent-free fully automizable sample preparation technique, this was the most sparing to sensitive components and the most time-saving method for the rapid determination of the aroma compounds composition in marjoram, caraway, sage, and thyme. Finally, solid-phase microextraction could be successfully optimized for the extraction of the aroma components from the plants for their subsequent gas chromatographic determination.     

Non-polar Solvent Microwave-Assisted Extraction of Volatile Constituents from Dried Zingiber Officinale Rosc.

A new method, non-polar solvent microwave-assisted extraction （NPSMAE）, was applied to the extraction of essential oil from Zingiber officinale Rosc. in closed-vessel system. By adding microwave absorption mediumcarbonyl iron powders （CIP） into extraction system, the essential oil was extracted by the non-polar solvent （ether） which can be heated by CIP. The constituents of essential oil obtained by NPSMAE were comparable with those obtained by hydrodistillation （HD） by GC-MS analysis, which indicates that NPSMAE is a feasible way to extract essential oil from dried plant materials. The NPSMAE took much less extraction time （5 min） than HD （180 min）, and its extraction efficiency was much higher than that of conventional polar solvent microwave-assisted extraction （PSMAE） and mixed solvent microwave-assisted extraction （MSMAE）. It can be a good alternative for the extraction of volatile constituents from dried plant samples.     

Antibacterial activities of essential oils extracted from leaves of Murraya koenigii by solvent-free microwave extraction and hydro-distillation

Solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME) for the isolation of essential oil from leaves of Murraya koenigii L. (Rutaceae) has been compared with the conventional hydro-distilled oil (HD) in terms of yield, composition, antioxidant activity, and antibacterial activity against Listeria innocua. The yield of essential oil obtained from 30 min of SFME was similar to that of HD for 180 min. By GC-MS analysis, the major compounds of the essential oil extracted by SFME, which were obtained in somewhat lower amounts than in the essential oil obtained by HD, were alpha-copaene (44.3%), beta-gurjunene (25.5%), isocaryophyllene (12.1%), beta-caryophyllene (8.7%) and germacrene D (2.9%). The content of oxygenated terpenes, slightly higher for the SFME-essential oil (2.3%) than the HD-essential oil (1.4%), were much lower than that of nonoxygenated terpenes in both oils. DPPH radical scavenging activities of both essential oils were relatively low (10%-24%). Complete inhibition of growth of L. innocua was observed with both SFME and HD essential oils, at 400 and 600 microg/mL (minimum inhibitory concentration), respectively. The SFME-essential oil at 300 microg/mL provided 92% inhibition, indicating its potential as a natural antimicrobial agent.