BR-102024017770-A2 - METHOD FOR ENHANCING THE YIELD OF TAHITI LIME ESSENTIAL OIL (CITRUS LATIFOLIA TANAKA)

BR102024017770A2BR 102024017770 A2BR102024017770 A2BR 102024017770A2BR-102024017770-A2

Abstract

This invention relates to enhancing the yield of Tahiti lime essential oil, with the main innovative feature being the application of ionizing radiation, specifically gamma radiation, as a potentiating agent. Tahiti lime is a hybrid variety with uses in the industrial, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and medicinal fields. The essential oil extracted from the peels of this plant generally has a low yield. Therefore, several studies have aimed to evaluate techniques and methods that could increase its yield. In this context, the present study proposes using ionizing radiation as a potentiating agent for the yield of essential oil extracted from lime peels. To this end, in the present invention, the peels were exposed to different doses of gamma radiation. Thus, it was observed that the average yield for the essential oil extracted from non-irradiated samples was 0.74%, while a dose of 0.3 kGy provided an average yield of 2.31%, which is equivalent to an average increase of 209.8% compared to the control. The hypothesis for this phenomenon is that the radiation acted by promoting greater bioavailability of the oil by breaking the physical and chemical bonds of the material's constituents.

Inventors

LETICYA MARIA OLIVEIRA DO NASCIMENTO
LIDERLÂNIO DE ALMEIDA ARAÚJO
PRISCYLLA LARYSSA ROCHA LINS
JAEL FERNANDES TAVARES
DANIELA MARIA DO AMARAL FERRAZ NAVARRO
ADEMIR DE JESUS AMARAL
GERLA CASTELLO BRANCO CHINELATE
KRAUSE GONÇALVES SILVEIRA ALBUQUERQUE
EDVANE BORGES DA SILVA

Assignees

UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE PERNAMBUCO
UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO AGRESTE DE PERNAMBUCO

Dates

Publication Date: 20260310
Application Date: 20240829

Claims (5)

1. METHOD FOR ENHANCING THE YIELD OF TAHITI LIME ESSENTIAL OIL (Citrus latifolia tanaka), characterized by being a method that uses ionizing radiation, specifically gamma radiation, at a dose of 0.3 kGy, as an agent to enhance the yield of Tahiti lime essential oil.
2. METHOD FOR ENHANCED THE YIELD OF TAHITI LIME ESSENTIAL OIL (Citrus latifolia tanaka), according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the dose used allows for a 209.8% increase in the average yield of Tahiti lime essential oil.
3. METHOD FOR ENHANCED THE YIELD OF TAHITI LIME ESSENTIAL OIL (Citrus latifolia tanaka) according to claims 1 and 2, characterized by exposing lime peels to a dose of 0.3 kGy of gamma radiation.
4. METHOD FOR ENHANCING THE YIELD OF ESSENTIAL OIL FROM TAHITI LIME (Citrus latifolia tanaka), according to claims 1, 2 and 3, characterized by using the hydrodistillation method as the essential oil extraction method.
5. METHOD FOR ENHANCED THE YIELD OF TAHITI LIME ESSENTIAL OIL (Citrus latifolia tanaka), according to claims 1, 2, 3 and 4, characterized by comparing the yields obtained for control samples (non-irradiated) with those irradiated at 0.3 kGy.

Description

[001] The present invention relates to a method for enhancing the yield of essential oil from Tahiti lime (Citrus latifolia tanaka). This method is particularly relevant for optimizing the efficiency of essential oil extraction, with significant applications in various sectors, including cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and food. [002] Tahiti lime essential oil is widely used due to its aromatic, antimicrobial, and cosmetic properties. Currently, there are several methods employed to increase the extraction yield of this oil. Although these methods show promising results, the method described here results in a significant improvement in extraction yield. [003] In the current state of the art, the literature emphasizes that there are methods aimed at enhancing the yield of lemon essential oils, such as harvesting in different seasons of the year, reducing the diameter of the material obtained from grinding the peels, and improving extraction techniques. However, despite the promising results found in the literature, our method shows that these yields can be further increased. [004] This innovative methodology involves exposing lemons to ionizing radiation, specifically gamma radiation, to increase the yield of extracted essential oil. The process consists of the following steps: sample collection, peel cleaning, exposure to ionizing radiation at different doses, essential oil extraction by hydrodistillation, and comparative analysis of the yield between treated samples and controls. The data from the analyses of the essential oil yields from Tahiti lemon peels demonstrate that the 0.3 kGy dose generated the highest yield, as shown in Table 1. Table 1: Results of Essential Oil Yields from Tahiti Lemons when exposed to ionizing radiation. Source: The authors, 2024. Regarding the state of the art, it is important to highlight that, according to current legislation, the doses used for the exposure are in accordance with the standards established by law. [005] In the current state of the art, the literature emphasizes that there are methods aimed at enhancing the yield of essential oils from plant-derived materials using ionizing radiation, such as the works of Variyar; Gholap & Thomas (1997), Gyawali et al. (2006), Seo et al., (2007), Yalcin, Ozturk, Tulukcu, & Sagdic (2011); Kirkin et al., (2014) and Osório & Alcântara (2015). These studies showed that the yields of essential oils extracted from plant materials are concentrated in spices, seeds, leaves, flowers, and roots of plants, and no study was found that evaluated the action of radiation on the yield of essential oil extracted from fruits, especially citrus fruits, such as Tahiti lime. Furthermore, the results obtained by these authors were not as significant as those found in the method proposed here. It is important to emphasize that the aforementioned studies showed yield increases of up to 50% for these materials, a percentage lower than that observed in the study that originated the present methodology, which was, on average, 209.8% compared to the control samples. The work of Atti-Santos et al. (2005) presented promising results using a technique for obtaining raw material through fine grinding of the peels and the use of supercritical fluid as an extraction process; our method shows that these yields can be further increased. In a prior art search, no method was found that uses ionizing radiation to enhance the yield in obtaining Tahiti lime essential oil, reinforcing the originality and relevance of the method presented here. [006] REFERENCES:ATTI-SANTOS, A. C. et al. Extraction of essential oils from lime (Citrus latifolia Tanaka) by hydrodistillation and supercritical carbon dioxide. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology, v. 48, n. 1, p. 155-160, 1 Jan. 2005.GYAWALI R., HYE-YOUNG SEO, HYUN-JU LEE, HYUN-PA SONG, DONG-HO KIM, MYUNG-WOO BYUN, KYONG-SU KIM. Effect of Y-irradiation on volatile compounds of dried Welsh onion (Allium fistulosum L.), Radiation Physics and Chemistry, Volume 75, Issue 2, 2006, Pages 322-328, ISSN 0969-806X. Available at:<https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radphyschem.2005.07.001>. Accessed on: Dec. 15, 2023.KIRKIN, C.; MITREVSKI, B.; GUNES, G.; MARRIOTT, P. J., Combined effects of gamma irradiation and modified atmosphere packaging on quality of some spices. Food Chemistry, 2014, 154, 255-261OSÓRIO, A.M.B. & ALCÂNTARA, A.F.C. Phytochemical study of the leaves of Solanum stipulaceum Roem. & Schult. and composition, biological activity and effect of gamma radiation on essential oils obtained from its flowers and leaves. Dissertation (Master's) - Federal University of Minas Gerais - Department of Chemistry. 2015. 100 p.SEO, H.-Y.; KIM, J.-H.; SONG, H.-P.; KIM, D.-H.; BYUN, M.-W.; KWON, J.-H.; KIM, K.- S., Effects of gamma irradiation on the yields of volatile extracts of Angelica gigas Nakai. Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 2007, 76 (11-12), 1869-1874. VARIYAR P. S., A. S. GHOLAP, P. THOMAS. Effect of Y-irradiation on the volatile