Clove Essential Oil (Syzygium aromaticum L. Myrtaceae): Extraction, Chemical Composition, Food Applications, and Essential Bioactivity for Human Health

Abstract

Clove (Syzygium aromaticum L. Myrtaceae) is an aromatic plant widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries, rich in volatile compounds and antioxidants such as eugenol, β-caryophyllene, and α-humulene. Clove essential oil has received considerable interest due to its wide application in the perfume, cosmetic, health, medical, flavoring, and food industries. Clove essential oil has biological activity relevant to human health, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, and insecticidal activity. The impacts of the extraction method (hydrodistillation, steam distillation, ultrasound-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, cold pressing, and supercritical fluid extraction) on the concentration of the main volatile compounds in clove essential oil and organic clove extracts are shown. Eugenol is the major compound, accounting for at least 50%. The remaining 10–40% consists of eugenyl acetate, β-caryophyllene, and α-humulene. The main biological activities reported are summarized. Furthermore, the main applications in clove essential oil in the food industry are presented. This review presents new biological applications beneficial for human health, such as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anesthetic, antinociceptive, and anticancer activity. This review aims to describe the effects of different methods of extracting clove essential oil on its chemical composition and food applications and the biological activities of interest to human health.

Phytochemical Characterization and Evaluation of the Antioxidant and Anti-Enzymatic Activity of Five Common Spices: Focus on Their Essential Oils and Spent Material Extractives

“…Indeed, the qualitative and quantitative profile of essential oils varies upon several factors, e.g., plant phenotype, pedoclimatic conditions, methods of harvesting, storage conditions, processing, and extraction methods [43,44]. Our data is in agreement with previous reports on marker constituents from cinnamon-cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, β-caryophyllene, and cinnamyl acetate [7,8,10]; clove-eugenol, eugenyl acetate, β-caryophyllene, and α-humulene [11,14]; cumin-cuminaldehyde, β-pinene, γ-terpinene, and safranal [10,43]; laurel-eucalyptol (1,8 cineole), sabinene, and α-terpinyl acetate [24]; and black pepper-β-caryophyllene, limonene, and α-terpinene [31,45].…”

“…Eugenia caryophyllata Thunb., Myrtaceae, clove) are broadly used as a culinary spice and flavoring agent in foods, perfumery, cosmetics, and in the pharmaceutical industry [11,12]. Various classes of phytochemicals have been reported in clove and refer mainly to essential oils (up to 20%), flavonoids, phenolic acids, ellagitannins, saponins, sterols, and lipids [13,14]. Traditionally, clove is used as a remedy for toothache, mouth and throat inflammation, bronchitis, cough, digestive disorders, rheumatism, and myalgia [15].…”

“…Traditionally, clove is used as a remedy for toothache, mouth and throat inflammation, bronchitis, cough, digestive disorders, rheumatism, and myalgia [15]. The bioactivity of clove extractives has been well-documented and refers to antispasmodic, antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antihistaminic, and anthelmintic properties [3,14,16].…”

Effect of Response Surface Methodology-Optimized Ultrasound-Assisted Pretreatment Extraction on the Composition of Essential Oil Released From Tribute citrus Peels

“…Therefore, the urgent development of new techniques for imminent extraction is of utmost importance ( 16 , 17 ). The ultrasound-assisted pretreatment extraction (UAPE) as a pretreatment to HD of ground plant material that is proposed as a substitutable, green, environmentally-friendly, and efficient technique for the separation of plant EO without the addition of any organic solvents ( 18 , 19 ). The promotion of plant EO separation using UAPE is mainly attributed to the generation and explosion of bubbles resulting from water vibration ( 20 ).…”

Culinary Spices in Food and Medicine: An Overview of Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. and L. M. Perry [Myrtaceae]

“…Historically, these spices were the cause for many exploration and expansion during the 15th century because they were highly sought after, caused great competition on finding the most efficient navigational route and conflict among those who wanted to monopolize the spice trade ( https://mrlambertchemistry.wordpress.com/ ; Sihotang et al, 2018 ). A recent review ( Haro-González et al, 2021 ) of Clove ( Syzygium aromaticum L. Myrtaceae) essential oil revealed that the essential oil has numerous biological activities and wide application relevant to human and animal health, cosmetic, medical, flavouring, pesticide and food industries.…”