Background:
Eugenol is a phenolic compound with a wide spectrum of biological activities
such as antibacterial and antioxidant.
Objective:
Eugenol is an ideal candidate as a natural antioxidant additive, especially for those substances
that are affected by lipoperoxidation process, this is the case of essential oils that have an
important role in the food, perfumery and pharmaceutical industries, which easily deteriorate under
high temperature, strong light, and reactive oxygen species.
Methods:
In order to evidence the influence of the addition of eugenol in the thermal properties of
Hedychium coronarium Koening essential oil, were determined the chemical composition, antioxidant
properties and TG/DTG analysis after the supplementation with different ratios of
eugenol/essential oil.
Results:
The results showed a high content of oxygenated monoteropenes (50.33%), followed by
monoterpene hydrocarbons (23.35%) and sesquiterpene (19.2%), the TG/DTG analysis presented a
significant increment in the degradation temperature of the essential oil, being the major value 12 ºC
at a supplementation of 4.7% (v/v) of eugenol.
Conclusion:
Finally, the supplementation with eugenol improved the thermal stability of the essential
oil of Hedychium coronarium Koening, which could be applicable to other oils thereby improving
their physicochemical properties.
