Enhancing Essential Oil Extraction from Lavandin Grosso Flowers via Plasma Treatment

This study explores the impact of plasma treatment on Lavandin Grosso flowers and its influence on the extraction of essential oils (EOs) via hydrodistillation. Short plasma treatment times enhance the yield of EO extraction from 3.19% in untreated samples to 3.44%, corresponding to 1 min of plasma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of molecular sciences 2024-02, Vol.25 (4), p.2383
Main Authors: Molina, Ricardo, López-Santos, Carmen, Balestrasse, Karina, Gómez-Ramírez, Ana, Sauló, Jordi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chemical compounds
Cosmetics
essential oil
Flowers
Flowers & plants
Flowers - chemistry
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
GC/MS
hydrodistillation
Lavandin Grosso
Methylene blue
Oils & fats
Oils, Volatile - chemistry
Plasma
Plasma physics
plasma technology
Raw materials
Seeds
Steam
surface modification
Technology
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Summary:This study explores the impact of plasma treatment on Lavandin Grosso flowers and its influence on the extraction of essential oils (EOs) via hydrodistillation. Short plasma treatment times enhance the yield of EO extraction from 3.19% in untreated samples to 3.44%, corresponding to 1 min of plasma treatment, while longer treatment times (10 min) show diminishing returns to 3.07% of yield extraction. Chemical characterization (GC/MS and ATR-FTIR) indicates that plasma treatments do not significantly alter the chemical composition of the extracted EOs, preserving their aromatic qualities. Investigations into plasma-surface interactions reveal changes at the nanometer level, with XPS confirming alterations in the surface chemistry of Lavandin Grosso flowers by reducing surface carbon and increasing oxygen content, ultimately resulting in an increased presence of hydrophilic groups. The presence of hydrophilic groups enhances the interaction between the surface membrane of the glandular trichomes on Lavandin Grosso flowers and water vapor, consequently increasing the extraction of EOs. Furthermore, microscopic SEM examinations demonstrate that plasma treatments do not affect the morphology of glandular trichomes, emphasizing that surface modifications primarily occur at the nanoscale. This study underscores the potential of plasma technology as a tool to enhance EO yields from botanical sources while maintaining their chemical integrity.
ISSN:1422-0067
1661-6596
1422-0067
DOI:10.3390/ijms25042383