Effect of effective microbes (EMs) enzyme pretreatment on kaffir lime leaves’ essential oils extraction

This research is to study the effect of Effective Microorganism enzyme pretreatment on kaffir lime leaves extraction by using hydrodistillation and to determine the component of essential oils in kaffir lime leaves (Citrus hystrix) by using GC-MS. In this experiment, the Effective Microbes enzyme was used as pretreatment before proceeding with hydrodistillation. The mixture of fruit waste (mixture of pineapple peels, water and brown sugar) was used for the pretreatment of kaffir lime leaves. The extraction method used was hydrodistillation where 35g of dried kaffir lime leaves were soaked in 400ml distilled water inside the 500ml round bottom flask and left to heat for 4 hours. The pretreatment of kaffir lime leaves with EMs enzyme increased the yield of essential oil. The optimum hours of the fermentation were 12 hours where it indicates highest yield (0.833%) of essential oil. Whereas, 0 hours (0.196%), 18 hours (0.750%), 24 hours (0.596%) and 30 hours (0.459%). The GC-MS analysis of essential oil showed 13 identification where the citronellal dominated the oil in the kaffir lime leaves by 47.093%. Whereas, the other component was cis-linalool oxide (0.936%), terpin (0.846%), β-citronellol (13.650%), aromadendrene (2.95%), cedrene (1.147%), α-farnesene (0.424%), diethyl phthalate (1.987%), α-gurjunene (2.056%), sabinene (1.432%), camphene (1.321%) and longipene epoxide (0.007%). The significance of the effect of EMs enzyme pretreatment on the yield of essential oils from kaffir lime leaves using hydrodistillation is discussed. Destruction of cell wall structure by the EMs enzyme pretreatment assisted by hydrodistillation has contributed to higher yields of essential oil.