Effects of Microwave and Cold Plasma Assisted Hydrodistillation on Lemon Peel Oil Extraction

Abstract

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the effect of low-pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma on microwave-assisted hydrodistillation of lemon peel oil extraction. Microwave pre-treated lemon peel powder was exposed to plasma treatment (1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 kV) for 10 min. The treated lemon peel powders were subjected to hydrodistillation to extract the essential oil and the extraction yields were calculated. The extracted oil was analyzed for chemical composition with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Effect of plasma on the surface morphology of the lemon peel was observed in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) which revealed the formation of fissures and cracks owing to the higher extraction yield. Plasma treatment at 2.5 kV was observed higher extraction yield than conventional hydrodistillation (149.34 % rise) and the chemical composition of plasma treated sample essential oil remains significantly unchanged. Thus, DBD plasma could be a promising technique to enhance the lemon peel essential oil extraction.