Methodology for Extraction of Essential Oils: A Review

Abstract

The majority of concentrated and volatile Essential oils are extracted from various parts of the plants. Essential oils contain hundreds of organic constituents such as natural elements, vitamins, hormones, etc., widely used in the perfumery and pharmaceutical industries. Different techniques are available for the extraction of essential oil, such as hydro and steam distillation, cold pressing/expression, Maceration, solvent extraction, Effleurage, Carbon Dioxide Extraction, Hydro Diffusion, etc., and innovative techniques like Supercritical Fluid Extraction (S.F.E.), Microwave Assisted Hydro distillation (MAHD), Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction (U.A.E.), Solvent-free Microwave Extraction (SFME), Microwave hydro diffusion and Gravity (M.H.G.). This review paper summarizes the research on various methods for essential oil extraction for various raw materials. The summary of this paper included information on different plant materials, the most suitable extraction method with operating conditions, advantages, and disadvantages of extraction methods, etc.