Extraction of cinnamon essential oil and identification of its chemical compounds

Abstract

The essential oils is present in many plants particularly spices, it contain numbers of chemical compounds with different chemical structures. Due to this functional groupings that these compounds posses, they might act and exhibit different properties namely antimicrobial, stabilizing and flavouring properties. The objective of this work is to isolate the oily fraction from cinnamon bark (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) and identify the chemical constituents and compounds present in this fraction. The oil was isolated by the application of Clevenger apparatus. The extraction efficiency was determined and total phenolic compounds were measured by Folin Ciocalteau method. The chemical compounds were identified by the application of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The oil and total phenolic compounds constituted 1.3% and 5.77 mg/g of the substance, respectively. The results indicated that Cinnamaldehyde was the predominant constituent in the isolated oil. Therefore,due to different chemical components present in the cinnamon essential oil, further investigation concerned with properties, activities and application of this essential oil to replace the medicines or as supplement in diseases, kinds of cancers and chemo therapy is recommended.   Key words: Essential oil, cinnamon, cinnamaldehyde.