Abstract
The demand of essential oil in current industry has increased due to its bioactive compound that shows various therapeutic effects. Therefore, the qualities of essential oil mainly depend on its constituents. This study was carried out to determine the effects of Microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD) and hydrodistillation (HD) methods on yield, chemical composition and toxicity of essential oil from Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus). A pale yellow oil yield of 1.46 % (90 min) and 1.38% (180 min) were obtained from MAHD and HD methods, respectively. GC-MS results shows a total of twenty compounds in MAHD oil and seven compound in HD oil. MAHD oil contained slightly higher amount of citral, which is the key component of Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), compared to HD oil, 86.48% and 83.15%, respectively. However, hydrodistilled oil showed the presence of higher β-Myrcene, 9.91%, and only 3.96% were found in the MAHD oil. Other identified constituents, include Linalool, 1,6-Octadiene,3,5-dimethyl-,trans, Pinane, Geranic acid and 1,5-Octadiene. Cytotoxicity study was also carried out by using Artemia Salina (Brine shrimp) lethality bioassay. The Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) oil extracted using MAHD and HD gives LC50 value of 0.35µg/ml and 0.29µg/ml, respectively. A minor variation in the total chemical composition of essential oil may contribute for different level of biological activity expression.
Highlights
Essential oils are botanical extracts of various plant materials, and do originate from flowers, but from herbs, trees and various other plant material
Current research is the first report on the simultaneous comparison of Microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD) and HD effect on cytotoxicity activity of Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) oil
This comparison has been supported by the result of GC-MS analysis which provides the quantitative and qualitative information of Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) oil content
Summary
Essential oils are botanical extracts of various plant materials, and do originate from flowers, but from herbs, trees and various other plant material. Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), a perennial plant with long, thin leaves, is one of the largely cultivated medicinal plants for its essential oils in parts of tropical and subtropical areas of Asia, Africa and America [2]. It contains 1-2% of essential oil on dry basis [3] and the chemical composition of Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) essential oil is varying widely upon genetic diversity, habitat and agronomic treatment of the culture [4].The leaves of Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) present lemony characteristic flavor due to its main content, citral which present great importance to the industry. In industry lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) oil has many other uses, such as perfume in soaps, flavoring agent for tea and medicine to treat various health ailments, including acne, athlete’s foot, flatulence, muscle aches and scabies [9]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
