Extraction and Formulation of Perfume from <i>Cymbopogon citratus</i> (Lemongrass)

Abstract

This work aimed to extract perfume from the leaves of Cymbopogon citratus using three extraction methods viz: distillation, solvent extraction and expression or effleurage. About 150 g of dried lemons grass were extracted using ethanol as the solvent to obtain essential oils required for the formulation of perfumes. The result of the hydrodistillation process showed that 1.23 g of essential oil per 130g of dry lemongrass produce 0.95% oil at 78 °C, while the effleurage method was 2.55 g of essential oil per 130 g of dry lemongrass sample thereby producing 1.96% oil yield. The solvent extraction method gave 2.7 g of essential oil per 130 g of dry lemongrass sample. This gives about 2.08 % yield of essential oil at a temperature of 78°C i.e. the boiling point of ethanol. The solvent extraction method yielded 2.08%, the effleuragemethod yielded 1.96% and the hydrodistillation method yielded 0.95% essential oil respectively. In conclusion, solvent extraction gave the highest yield because of less exposure to air and heat, which is highly recommended as the most suitable method for the extraction of essential oil.

Keywords

• hydrodistillation, lemongrass, essential oil and solvent extraction