Abstract
Agarwood is resinous valuable heartwood of Aquilaria tree resulting from self–defence mechanism towards injuries or damages exerted on the tree. Agarwood essential oil is usually extracted through a process of hydrodistillation or steam distillation which is beneficial for commercial purposes such as perfumeries and cosmetics. Hydrosol, a byproduct of the process produced in abundance and underutilized particularly in the agarwood industry. Hydrosol of agarwood is an aromatic compound that is believed to have chemical properties similar to essential oils that consist of positive antioxidant activity and positive biological activity for living cells. Several studies on properties of hydrosol of agarwood show that it contained zero nutrient but varied with minerals in the appropriate proportion that safe for human consumption. Thus, this review was aimed to discuss the agarwood hydrosol processing methods, characteristics, antioxidants properties and its comparisons to other plants hydrosol that have been commercially used as human consumption as in flavoured and non-flavoured beverages
Highlights
Fragrant and highly valuable heartwood produced by Aquilaria tree or known as Karas in Malay
The aqueous water that forms during the essential oil extraction of the aromatic plant is known as hydrosol
A previous study has stated that hydrosol of sage (Salvia officinalis) distillation has been used in making of hydrosol flavoured drink (Baydar et al, 2013)
Summary
Fragrant and highly valuable heartwood produced by Aquilaria tree or known as Karas in Malay. In Southeast Asia, Aquilaria planters usually injure trees by nailing the tree trunks, perforating, burning or pruning the tree trunks (Liao et al, 2018) These mechanical methods will expose the internal part of the trees to pathogenic microbes as a result of defence mechanism that triggers the resin production which is agarwood. A study by Ismail et al (2014) have shown that quality of agarwood essential oil is dependent on physical properties of wood, colour, resin content, long-lasting aroma when burned, high fixative properties and consumer perception. Wood chips will be crushed into the smallest particles and mixed with water at a ratio (1:10, w/v) (Sulaiman et al, 2015) and undergo a process of hydrodistillation for three (3) to seven (7) days to obtain essential oils and hydrosol in the same process This by-product is usually colourless and acidic depending on the type of plant being distilled. This study aims to look at the hydrosol properties of agarwood resulting from the essential oil extraction process that may be suitable as a drink or can be formulated into a flavoured beverage for human consumption
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 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 callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
