Novel approaches for lemon grass essential oil extraction: Ultrasound sonication and sparger-based microwave assisted extraction as a combined technique

The utilization of essential oils spans across various industries, encompassing food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Lemongrass, an herb renowned for its high essential oil content, was the focal point of this research. The objective was to explore a novel approach to extract essential oil from lemongrass by employing ultrasonic sparger-based microwave-assisted extraction (U Sp-MAE) coupled with ultrasound sonicator pretreatment. The findings revealed that the application of the U Sp-MAE technique, combined with ultrasound sonicator pretreatment, resulted in a significant increase in lemongrass essential oil yield. At a mixing ratio of 80 g of chopped lemongrass per 500 mL of deionized water, a remarkable yield of 1.87% was achieved. This study demonstrates the potential of the U Sp-MAE technique, with ultrasound sonicator pretreatment, as a promising and efficient method for extracting essential oil from lemongrass. Furthermore, its potential applications extend to industrial settings, offering new avenues for utilization.