The effect of ginger oil extraction using Microwave Assisted Hydro-distillation (MAHD) method on zingiberene content

The ginger (Zingiber officinale) essential oil has been produced using microwave assisted hydro-distillation extraction process and evaluated using GC-MS. The effects of different power of microwave (450, 600, 800 Watt) and material-solvent (w/v) ratio (1:8; 1:9; and 1:10) on the yield, density, and refraction index of ginger essential oil were investigated. The results indicated that microwave power and material-solvent ratio significantly affects yield, density, and zingiberene content of ginger essential oil. The highest yield was obtained in 600 Watt with 1:8 of material-solvent ratio (w/v), i.e., 1.71% w/w. The best density of ginger oil was obtained in 600 W with 1:10 of material-solvent ratio (b/v), i.e., 0.875 g/ml. The best refractive index value of ginger oil was obtained in 800 Watt with 1:8 of material-solvent ratio (b/v), i.e., 1.494. The refractive index of essential oils is influenced by the presence of carbon chains and double bonds in oil, free fatty acid levels, oxidation processes, and temperature. The best contents of ginger oil zingiberene were obtained in 600 Watt with 1:8 of material-solvent ratio (w/v), with 27.79%.