Abstract
Curcuma longa L. rhizome essential oil is a valuable product in pharmaceutical industry due to its wide beneficial health effects. Novel applications in the agri-food industry where more sustainable extraction processes are required currently and safer substances are claimed for the consumer are being investigated. This review provides information regarding the conventional and recent extraction methods of C. longa rhizome oil, their characteristics and suitability to be applied at the industrial scale. In addition, variations in the chemical composition of C. longa rhizome and leaf essential oils regarding intrinsic and extrinsic factors and extraction methods are also analysed in order to select the most proper to obtain the most efficient activity. Finally, the potential applications of C. longa rhizome oil in the agri-food industry, such as antimicrobial, weedicide and a food preservative agent, are included. Regarding the data, C. longa rhizome essential oil may play a special role in the agri-food industry; however, further research to determine the application threshold so as not to damage crops or affect the organoleptic properties of food products, as well as efficient encapsulation techniques, are necessary for its implementation in global agriculture.
Highlights
Medicinal and aromatic plant species (MAPs) have been broadly exploited as food flavourings, medicinal agents, preservatives and ornaments, as well as beauty and personal delight products, becoming natural alternatives that offer reliability, safety and sustainability [1,2]
The attempt of the present review is to present detailed literature dealing with the extraction, chemical composition and biological activity of C. longa rhizome essential oil in order to highlight the potential application in the agri-food industry as natural, safer and more sustainable antimicrobial, herbicidal and antioxidant agents
An equilibrium between meeting consumer expectations and achieving the maximum efficiency in industrial production according to Green Chemistry is required
Summary
Medicinal and aromatic plant species (MAPs) have been broadly exploited as food flavourings, medicinal agents, preservatives and ornaments, as well as beauty and personal delight products, becoming natural alternatives that offer reliability, safety and sustainability [1,2]. These advantages have been observed in the extraction of oleoresins and, more curcuminoids, active components of the dried rhizome of C. longa extracts [79,80,81] Amongst these methods, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) [65,70,82] has shown many advantages for the extraction of essential oils on an industrial scale, including the reduction of extraction times, higher quality extracts and, principally, the use of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) as a nontoxic, non-flammable and free-of-residues solvent [74,83,84,85]. Can be modified and/or combined with other techniques to maximize the yield and efficiency, e.g., ↑13–29% yield [63,64,65,71,74]
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