Instant Controlled Pressure Drop Assisted Extraction of Essential Oil From Cinnamon Leaves

Abstract

This study aims to optimize the extraction parameters to maximize the essential oil yield from Cinnamomum verum leaves using the Instant Controlled Pressure Drop (DIC) pre-treatment technique followed by hydro-distillation. The study encompasses various aspects, including drying characteristics, extraction efficiency, and quality of the essential oil. Two drying methods, sun drying and heat pump drying, were compared to optimize the drying process. The experimental design involved a Box- Behnken design to evaluate the effects of three independent variables: pressure (0.5, 0.75, 1 kg/cm2 ), number of cycles (1,2,3), and solid-solvent ratio (7,10,13 mL/g) on the yield and quality of essential oil. The results indicated slight effects of pressure and the number of cycles on the extraction yield. Maximum yield obtained was approximately 3.3%. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis identified the main constituents of the essential oil as eugenol with 89 % of total constituents. Initial moisture content of the cinnamon leaves was recorded at 53.82% (wb). Post-drying, the final moisture content was found to be 0.92% (wb) for sun-dried samples and 2.72% (wb) for heat pump-dried samples. The drying kinetics of the cinnamon leaves were best described by the Page model, which showed a higher coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.9992 for sun-dried samples and 0.9897 for heat pump-dried samples, indicating excellent fit and minimal error. The findings indicate that further exploration of other plant materials using the DIC pre-treatment method may enhance extraction efficiency and improve product quality.