Physicochemical properties, fatty acid compositions, bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity and thermal behavior of rice bran oil obtained with aqueous enzymatic extraction

Can a designer green solvent team up with microwaves to capture the purest essence of turmeric? Science says yes, unlocking an eco-friendly way to harvest precious plant oils.

Natural deep eutectic solvents are taking center stage as sustainable, eco-friendly extraction liquids. In a recent study, researchers paired these custom-made green solvents with microwave-assisted tech to extract essential oil from turmeric. By blending choline chloride and oxalic acid into a targeted pretreatment fluid, and optimizing variables like time and temperature through response surface methodology, the team achieved an impressive essential oil yield of 0.85 percent.

Running the extracted oil through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed a rich profile containing a total of 49 distinct compounds. This innovative fusion of green chemistry and microwave-assisted hydrodistillation successfully bypasses traditional extraction drawbacks. It delivers a fast, low-energy, and environmentally conscious method that points the way forward for quality monitoring across the spice industry.

Key Points

• Green natural deep eutectic solvents emerge as sustainable extraction tools
• Choline chloride and oxalic acid mixture optimizes turmeric oil yield
• Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry identifies 49 compounds in the essential oil