Physicochemical and Antioxidant Properties of Cymbopogon citratus Essential Oil

Abstract

In this study, the essential oil (EO) of lemongrass ( Cymbopogon citratus) or “lemon tea” leaves was studied. The EO was obtained by the steaming (0.75 ± 0.05%) and distillation (1.5 ± 0.07%), assisted by microwaves, methods. The EO had a refractive index of 1.483 ± 0.001 (20 °C) and a density of 0.873 ± 0.005 g/mL (27 °C). Color parameters of the oil corroborate the yellow hue observed by the naked eye. The Gas chromatography-Mass spectrometry (GC-MS), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectrometry, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) techniques permitted to characterize the EO and revealed the chemical structure of the major component: citral (neral and geranial). The phenolic compounds content was 149.2 ± 6.0 mg Gallic acid equivalents (GAE) per 100 mL of oil and the antioxidant activity was 44.06 ± 0.20 mg Trolox (T) per 100 mL of essential oil.