The yield and quality of gaharu oil (aquilaria malaccensis) extracted by three methods

Gaharu (Aquilaria malaccensis) oil and resin are among the most valuable products from forest. The essential oil and resinous wood of gaharu are widely used for their aromatic, fumigator and medicinal properties. Currently, the main problems in the production of gaharu oil were the issues of the various extraction methods which were not uniform and the lack of establishment of gaharu standard to evaluate its quality. The prices as well as the quality of gaharu oil are arbitrarily determined by traders and clients due to no established standard that can be referred. Therefore, the aim of this research was to study the appropriate extraction methods for the production of gaharu oil. The work focused on the performance of three different extraction methods i.e. Soxhlet extraction, hydro distillation and Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE). The results showed that the yield of gaharu oil increased with the increasing of extraction temperature, duration and solvent volume. The ASE method yielded higher percentage (2.28% ± 0.02) of gaharu oil than Soxhlet extraction (1.67% ± 0.01) and hydro distillation (0.18% ± 0.01). Moreover, the colour of ASE oil at elevated temperature was dark brown in comparison to oil from Soxhlet (brownish) and hydro distillation (dark green). Analysis of chemical compounds of the oils extracted via different methods showed a similar pattern of chemical profile but significant difference in the percentage of specific chemical compounds. ASE method was selected for further study, hence the gaharu oil extracted via Soxhlet was used as benchmark in relation to the presence of all expected chemical compound detectable in the gaharu oil at appreciated percentage. ASE method was optimized at the extraction temperature of below 150 ˚C because increased extraction temperature promoted the degradation of chemical components in the gaharu oil. The optimal parameters of ASE (ASE OPT) were found to be at temperature of 141 ˚C, duration of 90 min, and solvent volume of 90%. The yield from ASE OPT was 1.74%. Gas chromatopgraphy-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) was used to identify the specific chemical compounds of ASE OPT gaharu oil. The data was highly comparable with Soxhlet extraction result in which the percentage of most of the chemical compounds were significantly higher in the ASE OPT oil i.e. 3phenyl-2-butanone (1.59%), α-agarofuran (0.97%), 10-epi-γ-eudesmol (10.20%) and agarospirol (6.72%) than Soxhlet extraction (0.25, 0.22, 0.72 and 5.49% respectively). However α-guaiene (2.64%) were found slightly lower in the ASE OPT gaharu oil compared to gaharu oil of Soxhlet extraction (2.83%). The ASE OPT gaharu oil was categorized under viscous essential oil and it also tends to have heavier aromatic compounds

Labisia pumila extract protects skin cells from photoaging caused by UVB irradiation

Labisia pumila (Myrsinaceae), known as "Kacip Fatimah," has been used by many generations of Malay women to induce and facilitate child birth as well as a post partum medicine. However, its topical application on skin has not been reported yet. In this study, we have focused on the anti-photoaging effects of L. pumila. Extract of L. pumila was first analyzed for their antioxidant activities using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) since UV irradiation is a primary cause of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in the skin. The 50% free radical scavenging activity (FSC(50)) of L. pumila extract was determined to be 0.006%, which was equal to that produced by 156 microM ascorbic acid. TNF-alpha and cyclooxygenase (COX-2) play a primary role in the inflammation process upon UV irradiation and are known to be stimulated by UVB. Treatment with L. pumila extract markedly inhibited the TNF-alpha production and the expression of COX-2. Decreased collagen synthesis of human fibroblasts by UVB was restored back to normal level after treatment with L. pumila extract. On the other hand, the enhanced MMP-1 expression upon UVB irradiation was down regulated by L. pumila extract in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, treatment of normal keratinocytes with L. pumila extract attenuated UVB-induced MMP-9 expression. These results collectively suggest L. pumila extract has tremendous potential as an anti-photoaging cosmetic ingredient

Extraction of zingiber officinale and zingiber zerumbet essential oil using turbo extraction distillation (TED)

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and Zingiber zerumbet are medicinal plants that come from Zingiberaceae family, which contain high quality of essential oil. Both of these plants are widely used traditionally as an ailment and loss of appetite. In recent research the phytochemical component in both plants has been found to possess many interesting pharmacological and physiological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and anti-obesity effects. In this study, the essential oil from the plants was extracted using Turbo Extractor Distillator (TED). TED is accelerated hydrodistillation that allows to increase the input quantity and reduce the distillation time. The result is a very fresh product which makes an ideal base for the production of natural extracts for use in flavours. The aim of this research is to use the Zingiber officinale and Zingiber zerumbet as raw material to produce highly active herbal extracts, which enhanced with active compounds in the larger scale processing platform. The extraction was done using different type of solvent that is 100% water and 30 % ethanol. The raw material to solvent ratio used is 1:5 and time is from 1 hour to 6 hours. For extraction using 100 % water, Zingiber zerumbet produce a high oil yield (0.3%-0.5%) than Zingiber Offinale (0.1 %-0 3%). Zingiber Offinale produce high powder extract than Zingiber zerumbet for both types of solvent. From high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) result, ginger powder extract from 100 % water show high 6-gingerol than oil or powder extract for 30% ethanol that is 24.8 (jg/ml. For Zingiber zerumbet, the result shows that the^essential oil contains more zerumbone than powder extract for both solvent The production of herbal products in larger scale will ensure the supply chain in the increasing demand from herbal consumers. The huge demand is not only on a quantity basis, but also on herbal quality basis. The herbal quality is mainly focused on the content of bioactive marker besides nutritional composition

Influence of process variables for green solid-liquid extraction of Andrographolide from Andrographis paniculate

In this study, the influence of process variables for green solid-liquid extraction of andrographolide from Andrographis paniculata (AP) was investigated using a 23 complete factorial experimental design (CFED) augmented with center points. The process was studied at 80 C in a pressurized liquid extractor (PLE). The Overall Yield of Andrographolide (OYA), Overall Selectivity of Andrographolide (OSA), and Overall Selectivity of Andrographolide with respect to Other Phytochemical Compounds (OSA/OPCC) were the process responses used as performance indicators. The results were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), analyzed using half-normal probability plots, Pareto charts, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and 3D response surface and contour plots. Among the three process variables, the particle size was found to have the greatest significant effect, followed by time, and the smallest was the solid-liquid ratio on OYA, OSA and OSA/OPCC. In addition, the double interactions of particle size and time had the most pronounced effects, followed by solid-liquid ratio and time on both OSA and OSA/OPCC, while double interactions of solid-liquid ratio and particle size had the least influence

Evolutions in virgin coconut oil: Liquid to powder

EVOLUTIONS IN VIRGIN COCONUT OIL: LAwareness of virgin coconut oil (VCO) as a functional food supplement has grown enormously. The treatment of raw material and processing parameters is crucial as they affect the overall yield and quality of the oil. Meanwhile, the microencapsulation technology offers better handling, good oxidative stability, and longer shelf life of the VCO powder. Although good quality liquid and powdered oils can be obtained through sophisticated methods, the process involved is expensive and required high maintenance. By utilising dry kernel and coconut milk-based extractions methods, high-grade quality of VCO can be achieved. During microencapsulation, the spray drying method can preserve the phenolic and antioxidant compounds and maintain the low rancidity of the VCO. This paper evaluates the recent findings of the oil extraction methods and the development of VCO microencapsulation. These methods offer good quality, reproducible and economic viability

Evaluation on efficiency of pyroligneous acid from palm kernel shell as antifungal and solid pineapple biomass as antibacterial and Plant Growth Promoter

Generation of huge volumes of lignocellulosic biomass from agricultural sector is of concern due to its direct effects on the depletion of overall environmental quality. Conversion of biomass into solid biofuel through pyrolysis reaction has become one of the solutions to manage the abundance of biomass. Pyroligneous acid (PA) produced from the condensation of smoke generated during biomass carbonization process has the potential to be applied in various applications based on the diverse active chemical compounds present. In this study, PA obtained from palm kernel shell (PKS) was evaluated for antifungal activity and solid pineapple biomass (PB) was evaluated for antibacterial and plant growth promoter activities. Higher antifungal activity was determined for crude PA from PKS (PA-PKS) and dichloromethane-extract (DPA-PKS) with 0% coverage area when evaluated using rubber wood blocks against mold and blue sapstain after for 4 weeks of observation. This antifungal activity can be attributed to the presence of phenols and its major derivatives as suggested from the GC-MS and FTIR analysis. Concentrated PA from PB displayed good antibacterial capabilities with almost similar growth inhibition for Escherichia coli (13±1 to 20±1 mm) and Corynebacterium agropyri (20±1 mm). PA-PB also showed good potential as PGP where the addition of 2% (v/v) of PA-PB into the fertilizer for okra plant resulted in highest number of leaves and fruits while 4% (v/v) PA-PB managed to give highest plant height, longest root, heaviest fruits and biggest leaf diameter. Thus, thi

Bioactive terpenoids in cannabis: A critical review

Terpenoids, also referred as terpenes have been used extensively in drug related industry due to pharmaceutical properties. These have driven the emergence of studies on terpenoid from plant. Cannabis sativa plant is one of the common natural sources of terpenoids and cannabinoids. The cannabis produces and accumulates terpenoids in grandular trichomes. The grandular trichomes are abundant on the surface of female inflorescence. About 140 terpenoids are known in cannabis and some of them have medicinal potential in treatment of pain, inflammatory, cognition, epilepsy and immune functioning. The biological effect of terpenoid from cannabis is mainly attributed to limonene, myrcene, pinene, linalool, R-caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, nerolidol and phytol. The different composition of terpenoids are responsible in exhibit the unique organoleptic properties and influence the medicinal qualities of difference cannabis strains and varieties. This article aims to review the cannabis plant for terpenoid, terpenoid biosynthesis and its pharmacological activities. The terpenoids from cannabis could be valuable natural resources for drug development

Optimization of solvent extraction and matrix solid-phase dispersion methods for agarwood oleoresin and essential oil production

Agarwood essential oil is the most expensive resinous wood fragrance, indicating that it is extremely valuable. Generally, Malaysian producers use traditional method of hydro-distillation for extracting agarwood essential oil. However, this method has several limitations such as low product yield, essential oil quality inconsistency, time and energy consuming which resulting in a high operating cost of agarwood essential oil production. A low-grade agarwood (grade D) from the species of Aquilaria malaccensis was utilized in this study to improve the yield and quality of oleoresin and its essential oil using two consecutive solvent extractions, that were ethanol and n-hexane, respectively. The oleoresin was firstly extracted using reflux extraction, and then the essential oil was extracted using matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD). Based on their polarity, the combination of these solvents is the most ideal for producing high quality agarwood essential oil. Central composite design was used to investigate the effect of process parameters on extraction yield and the presence of chemical compound in the extract using regression analysis. Oleoresin yield of 7.08 ± 0.38 % (w/w) with total resin content of 5.75 ± 0.81 % (w/w) were obtained under the following optimal conditions: particle size of 0.5 - 1.0 mm, raw material to ethanol ratio of 1:29.9 g/ml and extraction time of 4.97 hours. Agarwood essential oil of 0.46 ± 0.10 % was achieved through optimization of essential oil extraction using the MSPD method at optimal condition: oleoresin to sorbent ratio of 1:1.46, oleoresin to n-hexane ratio of 1:39.19, extraction duration of two hours and applied silica gel as the solid support material. There were seven sesquiterpenes compounds detected through gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GCMS) profiles for qualitative assessment, with the highest relative peak areas of 14.11 % and 16.80 % in oleoresin and essential oil extracts, respectively. This study revealed that both optimal extraction conditions produced the desired extracts in lesser extraction time and lower agarwood to solvent ratio. The best quality of agarwood essential oil obtained in improved extractions was proven by comparing with GCMS chromatogram pattern. There was a 3.67-fold increase in peak area % of the discovered seven compounds when compared to Soxhlet extraction, and the amount of 4-phenyl-2-butanone compound was found to be the highest (0.53 mg/ml) when compared to other analyzed extraction methods. Overall, the MSPD extraction approach was able to produce the highest yield of agarwood essential oil, with a 21.05 % increase of essential oil yield compared to the Soxhlet extraction. The findings of this study provide a new insight about mass transfer theory by observing the surface morphology and particle size distribution on oleoresin-silica gel blended powders prior to extraction. On top of that, the disrupted mixture sample could achieve a smaller particle size and increase solute diffusion in the dispersion process, resulting in a high essential oil yield and retain most of the agarwood components. In conclusion, the findings strongly suggested that extraction using MSPD is a potential strategy for improving the overall extract yield and quality in the production of agarwood essential oil

Hedyotis-Oldenlandia genus: A review of traditional Chinese medicine herb

Members of Rubiaceae family are a rich source of secondary metabolites existing as pure compounds or standardized crude extracts. It has provided a wide range of opportunities for the exploration and discovery of new drugs. Hedyotis or Oldenlandia is one of the important members of this family and has shown multifunctional pharmacological properties according to continuous scientific research conducted on that plant genus since last few decades. The justification of use of Hedyotis-Oldenlandia in folk medicine is supported by its reported biological activities including anticancer, antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities. This genus also has been recognized to be abundant with bioactive phenolic compounds, proteins, carbohydrates, steroids and terpenoids. Therefore, this review highlights the traditional uses, phytochemical profiling and phenolic contents, pharmacological review and structure-activity relationship of chemical constituents in Hedyotis-Oldenlandia plants. However, further studies are still required to explore the molecular targets responsible for the reported pharmacological properties in order to establish a comprehensive profile of the isolated compounds before proceeding with further clinical trials