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Natural Products from Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.): Foods, Medicinal and Aromatic Compounds

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2020) | Viewed by 4748

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, University of Sassari, Via De Nicola 9, I-07100 Sassari, Italy
Interests: plant biodiversity, molecular biology and plant domestication; stress tolerance; fruit and plant biomass quality; essential oils; nutraceutic compounds; medicinal and aromatic plants; plant biochemistry and physiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) is a shrub of the Mediterranean area well-known in the ancient times for its aromatic and medicinal properties. Today, the economic relevance of the myrtle industry to produce liqueurs, essential oils, dry spices, and other commodities determines the evolution of a domestication process of the species and the wide cultivation of selected genotypes. This new possibility allows available leaf and fruit biomasses of consistent quality and chemical composition. The interaction of the renewed interest for the medicinal properties of myrtle with the potential of a large-scale production has strongly increased the number of researchers working on the chemical composition of the plant.

The Special Issue is focused on the chemical composition of the food products of the myrtle, essential oils, and any other extract of potential interest, with particular attention given to the different groups of phenols widely contained in the shrub.

Prof. Dr. Maurizio Mulas
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • leaf composition
  • fruit composition
  • essential oils
  • phenols
  • anthocyans
  • flavonoids
  • tannins

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 1409 KiB  
Article
Selection of Optimal Operating Conditions for Extraction of Myrtus Communis L. Essential Oil by the Steam Distillation Method
by Durmuş Alpaslan Kaya, Mihaela Violeta Ghica, Elena Dănilă, Şevket Öztürk, Musa Türkmen, Mădălina Georgiana Albu Kaya and Cristina-Elena Dinu-Pîrvu
Molecules 2020, 25(10), 2399; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25102399 - 21 May 2020
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4460
Abstract
Myrtus communis L. is one of the important aromatic and medicinal species from the Mediterranean area. It is used in various fields such as culinary, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, therapeutic, and industrial applications. Thus, a Box–Wilson experimental plan was used in this study to select [...] Read more.
Myrtus communis L. is one of the important aromatic and medicinal species from the Mediterranean area. It is used in various fields such as culinary, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, therapeutic, and industrial applications. Thus, a Box–Wilson experimental plan was used in this study to select the optimal operating conditions in order to obtain high volumes of essential oils. The factorial design method was applied to evaluate at an industrial scale the effect of major process variables on the essential oil extraction from Myrtus communis L. herbs by the steam distillation method. The input variables considered as significant operating conditions were: X1—boiler occupancy rate (boilers were filled to 50%, 75%, and 100%), X2—distillation duration (distillation was continued 60, 75, and 90 min), and X3—particle size (herbs were cut in sizes of 10, 20, and 30 mm via guillotine). The dependent variable selected, coded as Y, was the essential oil volume obtained (mL). The steps of the classical statistical experimental design technique were complemented with the Taguchi method to improve the extraction efficacy of essential oil from Myrtus communis L., and the optimum parameter conditions were selected: boiler occupancy rate 100%, distillation duration 75 min, and particle size 20 mm. Following the optimum parameters, the GC-MS assay revealed for the Myrtus communis L. essential oil two predominant components, α-pinene—33.14% and eucalyptol—55.09%. Full article
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