Chemical composition, antibacterial and antioxidant activities of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) essential oil and its fractions obtained by vacuum distillation

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) essential oil (raw oil) is a natural product with many biological activities and is commonly used in the food and cosmetic industries. In this study, fractions of lemongrass essential oil were segregated from raw oil by vacuum fractionation. These fractions were then examined for their constitution, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry results indicated a difference in constitution and content of compounds among the fractions and raw oil. β -myrcene was the main ingredient in two fractions, F1and F2, with content 2-4 times higher than the original content in raw oil. At the same time, F4 was the primary fraction for citral recovery, with the highest citral content of 83.53%. Fractions F3, F4, and undistilled oil (Unoil) showed better antioxidation than raw essential oil. On the other hand, the antimicrobial experiments indicated that F1, F2, and F4 had the highest activity in both cases against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria. These outcomes could increase the applicability of lemongrass essential oil in many fields, especially in medical and food applications.