Application of the vacuum distillation in isolation of juniper berry (Juniperus communis L.) essential oil

Abstract

Plants and plant products, including essential oils, are globally recognized for their medicinal and therapeutic values. Various methods have been used to obtain essential oils efficient isolation from the plant material. In this research, vacuum hydrodistillation (VHD) was used to isolate oil from juniper berry (Juniperus communis L). Using GC-MS analysis, the chemical composition of the obtained oil was examined, which was compared with commercial ones. In the composition of VHD essential oil monoterpene fraction was dominant, with a significant percent of the sesquiterpene fraction, while the ?-pinene was the most abundant compound (21.7%). The analysis of the biological and pharmacological potential revealed that the oil obtained by VHD was a better antioxidant agent then commercial oil when it comes to scavenger activity against the ABTS radical (VHD oil 77.23 mg TE/g; commercial oil 8.31 mg TE/g) and reduction potential according to Cu2+ ion (VHD oil 107.13 mg TE/g). On the other hand, the enzyme inhibitory potential resulted in a stronger ability of the commercial oil to reduce excessive enzyme activity. The conducted research indicates that J. communis oil has shown significant biopotential and its use in food production and as a source of potent herbal medicines should be considered.