Work

Optimization of enzyme-assisted hydrodistillation for extraction of nutmeg essential oil and preparation of nutmeg essential oil/porous starch/sodium alginate microcapsules and study of its release behavior

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Nutmeg essential oil (NEO) possesses various biological activities, its application is restricted by its high volatility, strong odor, and low water solubility. This study aimed to use cellulase-assisted hydrodistillation to extract NEO. Subsequently, porous starch (PS) served as the carrier to load NEO to form NEO/PS solid microspheres and then sodium alginate (SA) was used as a coating agent to prepare NEO/PS/SA microcapsules. The optimal technology condition of cellulase-assisted hydrodistillation was enzyme addition amount of 1.2%, enzymolysis temperature of 45 °C, pH of 4.0, liquid to material ratio of 13 mL/g, enzymolysis time of 47 min, and distillation time of 193 min, obtaining a yield of 10.69%. The yield of this method was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than that of hydrodistillation (9.15%), and its extraction time (240 min) was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than that of hydrodistillation (360 min). Moreover, DSC, TGA, FTIR, XRD, and SEM results demonstrated that the microcapsules were successfully prepared. Meanwhile, the relative GC-MS profile of the recovered NEO was largely maintained after encapsulation. Additionally, the release of NEO in the microcapsules could be controlled by regulating the temperature and relative humidity. Overall, enzyme-assisted hydrodistillation is a feasible method for the extraction of NEO, and the encapsulation of NEO by PS and SA is an effective means to maintain quality and durability.

Source: Industrial Crops and Products

DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2026.124436