Chemical composition and functional properties of Vietnamese lime ( Dao, Da Lat and Long An) peel's essential oils extracted by cold pressing and vacuum hydrodistillation methods.

Abstract

Cold pressed and vacuum hydrodistillated essential oils (EOs) from peels of Dao lime (Citrus hybrid – Citrus spp.), Da Lat lime (Citrus limonia Osbeck), Long An lime (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle) from three regions of Vietnam were investigated for their chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The EOs' chemical composition was analyzed by gas chromatography. Nine components were identified and the major components of all oil samples were limonene and β-pinene. Antioxidative and antimicrobial activities were determined by Ferric thiocyanate (FTC) and agar well diffusion methods, respectively. Cold pressed EOs showed better antioxidant and antimicrobial activities than vacuum hydrodistillated EOs except for the case of Da Lat lime which expressed no significant difference between two kinds of extracts. Among lime varieties, Long An lime peel EOs possessed the highest inhibition on linoleic peroxidation. The strongest antibacterial activity on S. aureus and P. aeruginosa were obtained by Long An and Dao lime peel EOs, respectively. The results of study indicate that vacuum hydrodistillation may be a good method for extracting EOs with high quality, high biological activities as natural oils and high production yields. Key words:

lime essential oil chemical composition gas chromatography antioxidant activity antimicrobial activity