Cold Plasma-Assisted Microwave Pretreatment on Essential Oil Extraction from Betel Leaves: Process Optimization and Its Quality

• Published in: Food and bioprocess technology 2023-03, Vol.16 (3), p.603-626
• Main Authors: Karunanithi, Sangeetha, Guha, Proshanta, Srivastav, Prem Prakash
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetic acid; Agriculture; Biotechnology; Carbon dioxide; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chemistry/Food Science; Cold plasmas; Distillation; Essential oils; Food Science; Functional groups; Gas chromatography; Industrial applications; Leaves; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Oils & fats; Optimization; Phenolic compounds; Phenols; Physical properties; Refractivity; Scanning electron microscopy; Specific gravity; Volatile compounds
• ISSN: 1935-5130; 1935-5149
• DOI: 10.1007/s11947-022-02957-3

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of cold plasma-assisted microwave treatment (CPAMW) on betel leaves powder essential oil (BLP-EO) extraction by hydro distillation and microwave process optimization. Microwave power (630–810 W), treatment time (60–120 s), and extraction duration (50–100 min) were selected to maximize EO yield with TPC (total phenolic content). Maximum EO yield (3.33 ± 1.2%) and TPC (59.97 ± 1.7 mg GAE/mL) from CPAMW-BLP were achieved at the following optimum conditions: 738 W, 98 s, and 104 min. A scanning electron microscope was used to examine the impact of CPAMW on the surface morphology of the BLP, and the results indicated the development of fissures, cracks, and cellular damage, which leads to a higher extraction yield than the control. Compared to C(control)-BLP-EO (62.15 ± 0 .06%), the CPAMW-BLP-EO (85.71 ± 0.17%) exhibited stronger antioxidant properties. Functional group and physical properties such as refractive index, color contrast, and specific gravity were evaluated, and it was discovered that the CPAMW treatment retained functional groups like C-BLP-EO with minor changes within the acceptable region has been identified for physical properties of EO. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis revealed 48 and 46 volatile compounds, representing 96.16% and 85.87% of the optimized CPAMW-BLP-EO and C-BLP-EO, respectively. These volatile compounds contain major chemicals such as chavibetol, chavibetol acetate, hydroxychavicol, and γ-muurolene that are associated with a variety of biological activities and industrial applications. Therefore, CPAMW might be a potential method to improve the extraction of BLP essential oil with less time, energy, and CO 2 release. Graphical Abstract