Chemical composition and biological potential of Pinus roxburghii oleoresin essential oils extracted by steam distillation, superheated steam, and supercritical fluid CO2 extraction

Abstract

Abstract Pinus roxburghii is a rich source of high-quality oleoresin composed of resin acids and essential oil. The main purpose of the present study was to compare the yield, biological activities and chemical composition of Pinus roxburghii oleoresin essential oil. Steam distillation, supercritical fluid extraction, and superheated steam extraction at different temperatures (120ᵒC, 140ᵒC, and 160ᵒC) were employed to extract essential oil from Pinus roxburghii oleoresin. It was observed that extraction methods significantly affected the yield, biological activity, and chemical composition of essential oils. The maximum yield (19.92%) was found in the essential oil extracted by SHSE at 160ᵒC. Antioxidant activity was determined by total antioxidant content/ FRAP, DPPH-FRSA, hydrogen peroxide scavenging assays and percentage inhibition in linoleic acid oxidation. The essential oil extracted by SHSE at 160ᵒC showed the highest DPPH-FRSA (63.33%), linoleic acid oxidation inhibition (96.55%), hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity (59.42%), and total antioxidant contents/FRAP (134.49 mg/L of gallic acid equivalent). The antimicrobial activity of EOs was determined by resazurin microtitre-plate, disc diffusion, and micro-dilution broth susceptibility assays. The antimicrobial activity results showed that superheated steam-extracted essential oil of 120ºC and 140ºC revealed the highest antifungal and antibacterial activity, respectively. GC-MS results showed that 3-carene, α-pinene, and β-pinene were the major chemical compounds present in essential oils. It is concluded that superheated steam extraction is an alternative and effective technique for extraction of oleoresins essential oil which improves the essential oil yield and biological activities.