Evaluation of Physico-Chemical Properties of Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus L.) Essential Oil Grown in Tien Giang Province, Vietnam

Abstract

The lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus L.) essential oil plays a vital role as an ingredient in different fields due to aromatic, antibacterial properties and antifungal activity. In this study, essential oil of lemongrass was obtained using hydrodistillation method and evaluated for chemical compositions and physico-chemical characteristics. The averaged physico-chemical parameters were determined as specific gravity (0.8865 g/cm3), acid index (2.948), ester index (6.402) and refractive index (9.35). Moreover, the hydrodistillation process performance was achieved 0.29%. The composition of essential oils was analyzed by GC-MS, revealing a total of 18 volatile constituents existing in the lemongrass oil. The major components were α-citral (40.838%), β-citral (28.494%), β-myrcene (16.654%), 2,3-dehydro-1,8-cineole (2.264%) and geraniol (2.388%). The citral component accounts for high content (more than 70% of volume) of oil.