Microwave hydrodistillation of Pelargonium graveolens L’Her leaves: Essential oil profile, phytochemical composition of wastewater, histo-anatomical structure

Abstract

By-products with remarkable bioactive properties are formed in extraction processes of essential oils from plant materials. In present study, it was aimed to determine the concentration of individual phenolic and organic acid compounds by LC-MS/MS of the by-product (wastewater) collected after the essential oil isolation from Pelargonium graveolens L. and to determine some bioactive properties of this by-product. In addition, the chemical analysis and antibacterial activity of the essential oil extracted from P. graveolens were determined and the histo-anatomical characterization of the glandular trichomes in the leaf sample was performed. As a result, quercetin (95862.22 μg/kg), myricetin (59834.32 μg/kg) and rutin (36522.90 μg/kg) were the phenolic compounds determined in the highest concentrations in the by-product extracted using two different extraction techniques (non-hydrolysis and hydrolysis methods). Moreover, the individual organic acids of the by-product screened in LC-MS/MS was found to be 4487.17 mg/kg in total. When the essential oil component profile of the plant sample was examined, the citronellol (38.78%) compound was found to be dominant, and it was also detected that the essential oil had remarkable bioactive properties. In conclusion, it can be stated that both the essential oil obtained from P. graveolens and the by-product obtained during essential oil isolation can be considered as a source of some bioactive components in many different industrial applications.