Essential oils and distilled straws of lavender and lavandin: a review of current use and potential application in white biotechnology

Abstract

The Lavandula genus, which includes lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and lavandin (L. angustifolia × Lavandula latifolia), is cultivated worldwide for its essential oils, which find applications in perfumes, cosmetics, food processing and, more recently, in aromatherapy products. The chemical composition of lavender and lavandin essential oils, usually produced by steam distillation from the flowering stems, is characterized by the presence of terpenes (e.g. linalool and linalyl acetate) and terpenoids (e.g. 1,8-cineole), which are mainly responsible for their characteristic flavour and their biological and therapeutic properties. Lavender and lavandin distilled straws, the by-products of oil extraction, were traditionally used for soil replenishment or converted to a fuel source. They are mineral- and carbon-rich plant residues and, therefore, a cheap, readily available source of valuable substances of industrial interest, especially aroma and antioxidants (e.g. terpenoids, lactones and phenolic compounds including coumarin, herniarin, α-bisabolol, rosmarinic and chlorogenic acids). Accordingly, recent studies have emphasized the possible uses of lavender and lavandin straws in fermentative or enzymatic processes involving various microorganisms, especially filamentous fungi, for the production of antimicrobials, antioxidants and other bioproducts with pharmaceutical and cosmetic activities, opening up new challenging perspectives in white biotechnology applications.

Transcriptome profiling of spike provides expression features of genes related to terpene biosynthesis in lavender

“…The Lavandula genus (Lamiaceae) includes over 39 species, and three of these species are mainly cultivated to extract essential oil (EO): Lavandula latifolia (spike lavender), Lavandula angustifolia (fine lavender, or lavender), and their hybrid Lavandula × intermedia (lavandin) 1,2 . EOs have great economic value, as they are widely used in cosmetics and health care products 3,4 .…”

“…By the end of 2014, the area of lavender planting in Yili reached approximately 3333.33 ha. The Yili Valley is the largest producer of lavender in China and one of the four largest lavender gardens in the world, therefore it is called the "Oriental Provence" and "the hometown of lavender in China" 1 .…”

Lavandula Essential Oils: A Current Review of Applications in Medicinal, Food, and Cosmetic Industries of Lavender

“…Lavandin honey is made of nectar collected from L. x intermedia, the hybrid of L. angustifolia and L. latifolia, and is of great economic importance due to its wide uses in the food, flavoring and pharmaceutical industries [8,65]. Honey derived from lavender has also been shown to have many therapeutic uses, such as increasing wound healing rate with honey derived from Lavandula x allardii, treating mycotic infections with Lavandula stoechas, and in general possessing antimicrobial properties [66][67][68][69].…”

“…The aqueous "wastes" of essential oil distillation, known as hydrolates, or hydrosols, have also been shown to be rich in phytochemicals and possess biological activity. Although most volatile constituents found in lavenders are present in the essential oils, numerous terpenes, phenolic and lactone compounds are left in the hydrosol [8,95]. A positive correlation concerning the strength of antioxidant activity and content of phenolic compounds present in the lavender hydrosol has been reported [95].…”

Production Technology of Phytopreparations Based on Essential Oils

“…The main producer of Lavandula essential oil is France in the southeastern region of Provence and accounts for 90% of world production. Other countries-producers of Lavandula essential oil are Spain, USA, Russia, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, India, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa and the Balkan countries [6].…”