Investigating the effects of microwave-assisted hydrodistillation on antioxidant and antifungal activities of Tanacetum polycephalum and Artemisia chamaemelifolia essential oils

Abstract

Essential oils (EOs) of Tanacetum polycephalum and Artemisia chamaemelifolia were extracted by microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD). Their antioxidant and antifungal activities were compared to the traditional hydrodistillation (HD). The ultimate EO yields were similar in both extraction methods, but the extraction duration in MAHD was significantly shorter than that of HD (150 min vs. 45 min) as regards both plants. Analysis of EOs by gas chromatography showed significant quantitative differences between their chemical compositions. The differences were a result of utilizing the two different methods of HD and MAHD. The antioxidant activities – reported as inhibitory concentration – of EOs obtained from A. chamaemelifolia and T. polycephalum were in the range of 3.74–3.98 mg/mL and 2.47–2.63 mg/mL, respectively, which showed greater activity than that of BHT (22.19 mg/mL). The antifungal activities of EOs belonging to A. chamaemelifolia and T. polycephalum showed excellent inhibitory effects against Trichoderma harizanum, Byssachlamys spectabilis, Paecilomyces variotii, and Aspergillus oryzae. No significant differences were detected in physical properties, antioxidant activities, and antifungal activities of EOs with respect to both extraction methods. This article stands to introduce MAHD as a fast method that does not have adverse effects on the antioxidant and antifungal activities of the extracted EOs.