Main extraction methods and emerging technologies for essential oils extraction

© 2018 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.Essential oils can be extracted from several parts of a plant (e.g., leaves, seeds, woods, barks, berries, resins, flowers, peels, roots, and fruits). To improve the extraction method, it must be adapted to the part of the plant being used, to its structure and to the target chemical constituents. The most common extraction methods are expression, enfleurage, solvent extraction and hydrodistillation, however these methods are highly inefficient when considering yields, time, costs and final quality of products. To avoid these drawbacks, innovative extraction technologies such as microwave assisted extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, ultrasound assisted extraction and Instant Controlled Pressure Drop has been developed in the past thirty years. The objective of this chapter is to highlight the main characteristics of traditional and emerging technologies, as well as their key advantages and disadvantages.

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