An Overview on Total Valorization of Litsea cubeba as a New Woody Oil Plant Resource toward a Zero-Waste Biorefinery

Abstract

With the increasing global demand for edible oils and the restriction of arable land minimum in China, woody oil plants have gradually become the optimal solution to cover the shortage of current edible oil supply and to further improve the self-sufficiency rate. However, due to the lack of knowledge and technique, problems like “how to make full use of these plant resources?” and “how to guide consumers with reasonable data?” limit the development of woody oilseed industry towards a sustainable circular economy. In this review, several emerging unique woody oil plants in China were introduced, among which Litsea cubeba as a new woody oil plant was highlighted as a reference case based on its current research progress. Unlike other woody oil plants, essential oil rather than oil from Litsea cubeba has always been the main product through the years due to its interesting biological activities. Most importantly, its major component, citral, could be the base for other synthesized perfume compounds with added value. Moreover, the sustainable biorefinery of large amounts of waste residual after Litsea cubeba essential oil processing is now technically feasible, which could inspire a total valorization pathway for other woody oil plants to make more competitive plant-based products with both economic, social, and ecological benefits.

Litsea cubeba essential oil: Extraction, chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, and applications in the food industry

“…Likewise, Liu et al (2014) reported that under optimal conditions, the yield of ultrasonic-assisted extraction of L. cubeba oil reached up to 41.4%; fruit-containing seeds were used as raw material; therefore, the contribution of kernel oil to the extraction rate cannot be ignored. The other study that actually investigated the technological conditions of supercritical CO 2 fluid technique in extracting L. cubeba kernel oil (Zhang et al, 2000) was mistakenly referenced as an LCEO extraction study in the review paper (Qiu et al, 2021). To clear up the confusion, we provide an updated and detailed description on methods for extracting L. cubeba oil (essential oil and kernel oil) in Table 1.…”

“…The chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of LCEO, and the bioactivity of citral and limonene have been summarized . Recently, Qiu et al (2021) overviewed the total valorization of L. cubeba, covering various aspects, such as extraction, bioactivity, and purification, of LCEO. In general, the antioxidant and antimicrobial usage of LCEO in food industry is not the objective of these reviews.…”

Phenotypic Diversity of Litsea cubeba in Jiangxi China and the Identification of Germplasms with Desirable Characteristics

“…L. cubeba is mainly distributed in China, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, India, and Indonesia. In China, it generally grows in tropical and subtropical areas south of the Yangtze River [14,15]. Most L. cubeba in China grows wild, with scattered source areas, significant regional differences, and rich genetic variations.…”

Characterization of morphological, micromorphological, anatomical structures and matK gene-based identification of aromatic litsea (Litsea cubeba)

“…The existence of L. cubeba is now becoming rare, so L. cubeba status has become Least Concern ver 3.1 IUCN (Kok 2021). The leading cause of this species' scarcity is the distilling of the bark and leaves as raw materials for perfume (Qiu et al 2021). Based on these facts, it is necessary to breed L. cubeba so it does not become extinct.…”