Ohmic hydrodistillation, an accelerated energy-saver green process in the extraction of Pulicaria undulata essential oil

Ohmic-assisted hydrodistillation (OAHD) is a promising extraction process in which the internal heating and electroporation phenomenon occur owing to electrical current passing through the plant materials. Extraction time, yield, and properties of Pulicaria undulata essential oils obtained through OAHD was investigated and compared to conventional hydrodistillation (HD). Time required to complete the extraction was considerably shorter in OAHD (61 min) with significantly higher yield (1.50%), compared to HD (159 min and 1.34%). A comparable chemical profile of essential oils was obtained with higher percentage of 1,8-cineole (14.68%) and chrysanthenone (10.25%) in OAHD than HD. The investigated essential oils also exhibited antibacterial and antioxidant activity with OAHD essential oil being more effective. The electrical energy consumption for OAHD was almost half of that measured for HD. In this regard and on the basis of equivalent CO2 emission, OAHD may well be categorized as a “green extraction technology”.