Syzygium aromaticum L. is an aromatic plant with a significant amount of essential oil (EO), which is used in food, medicine, for flavoring, and in the fragrance industry. The purpose of this study was to comparatively evaluate the chemical composition, yield, and antioxidant and antifungal activities of Syzygium aromaticum essential oils extracted by the conventional hydro-distillation, steam distillation, and the emerging superheated steam distillation methods. It was noticed that the extraction methods significantly influenced the yield, chemical composition, and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of essential oils. The maximum yield was obtained using superheated steam distillation, followed by hydro-distillation and steam distillation. The antioxidant potential of EO extracts was evaluated following the scavenging of 2,2-dipenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals, hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity and ferric reducing power assays. Results revealed that EO extracted superheated steam distillation exhibited the highest antioxidant activity. GC-MS analysis depicted eugenol (47.94–26.50%) and caryophyllene (20.24–9.25%) as the major compounds of Syzygium aromaticum EOs. The antimicrobial activity of EO extracts was evaluated, via the resazurin microtiter plate assay, microdilution broth assay, and disc diffusion methods, against normal and food pathogenic bacterial and fungal strains. After comparative evaluation, it was observed that superheated steam extracted EO exhibited the highest antimicrobial potential. Overall, methodical evaluation disclosed that superheated steam distillation is an effective method to extract EOs from plant sources, with greater yield and promising biological activities.

Pistacia lentiscus L. is an aromatic plant containing a significant percentage of essential oil (EO) used in fragrance, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and the food industry. The purpose of this work is focused on the optimization of Pistacia lentiscus L. oleo gum resin EO yield extracted by superheated steam extraction (SHSE) by response surface methodology, including extraction parameters of particle size (0. 5 − 1 mm), temperature (140–180 °C) and time (90–150 min). The optimum conditions for Pistacia lentiscus L. EO extracted by SHSE were found to be (particle size: 0.75 mm, time: 120 min and temperature: 160 ℃) which produced the highest EO yield of 5.7%. A regression model was developed, demonstrating a robust quadratic correlation with an R² value of 0.9991, making it suitable for predictions. Furthermore, the yield of Pistacia lentiscus L. EO extracted by SHSE was compared with the conventional steam and hydro distillation techniques. The study revealed that SHSE yielded higher quantities of EO than other extraction methods. GC-MS analyzed the chemical composition of Pistacia lentiscus L. EO. The predominant compound of Pistacia lentiscus L. EO was determined to be α-pinene, while the other identified compounds include trans-verbenol, verbenol, cis-verbenone, camphene, β-myrcene, d-limonene, cymene, α-myrtenol, α-campholenal, α-copaene, and α-thujene, whose content differed according to different extraction techniques. Overall, superheated steam extraction is an efficient technique for extracting Pistacia lentiscus L. essential oil that enhances EO yield, requiring less time for extraction.

Foeniculum vulgare Miller is a highly valued aromatic and nutritious plant. The unique compositions of its essential oil make it more valuable in the flavor, fragrance, and medicinal industries. However, the potential of superheated steam distillation for obtaining essential oils from its seeds has not been explored in detail. This study assessed the composition, yield, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities of essential oils distilled from F. vulgare seeds using traditional hydrodistillation, steam distillation, and superheated steam distillation. Superheated steam distillation resulted in the maximum quantity of essential oil (5.24%) compared to steam (3.47%) and hydrodistillation (2.47%). Trans ‐anethole, fenchone, estragole, and limonene were the main identified by GC–MS analysis in the essential oils, and these compounds were abundant in the essential oil produced by superheated steam distillation. Essential oil distilled by superheated steam distillation presented the highest antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus , Pastrulla multocida , Bacillus subtilis , and Escherichia coli . The highest antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger, Fusarium solani, Aspergillus flavus , and Alternaria alternate was also demonstrated by the same essential oil. These findings demonstrated the potential of superheated steam distillation as a highly effective and efficient technique for distilling high‐quality essential oils from Foeniculum vulgare Miller seeds. It is suitable for various applications in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries.

The primary purposes of this work were to study the influence of the distillation temperature on the yield of the turpentine essential oil hydrodistilled from the Pinus roxburghii oleoresin and to obtain products with powerful bioactivities by short path molecular distillation of the oil. Our findings showed that the hydrodistillation temperature affected the yield as well as the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the essential oil: the highest yield (20.27 %) and bioactivities were obtained for the oil distilled at 180 °C. The oil was subsequently separated by short path molecular distillation into fractions and sub-fractions whose antioxidant activity was determined by the DPPH scavenging assay, the inhibition of linoleic acid peroxidation test, the FRAP assay, and the H₂O₂ scavenging assays. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of the fractions and sub-fractions against the bacteria Pasteurella multocida, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus subtilis, and the fungal strains Fusarium solani, Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus niger, was measured by the agar well diffusion method, the microdilution broth assay and the resazurin microtiter plate test. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities varied between fractions and subfractions; however, their overall potency makes the P. roxburghii oleoresin a potential source of valuable natural antimicrobial products employable against various foodborne microbes and molds, as well as a source of preservative agents against food oxidation. Longifolene, 3-carene, α-pinene and β-pinene were identified by GC-MS analysis as the main constituents of the P. roxburghii turpentine essential oil and the most active fractions and sub-fractions. These terpenes were likely responsible for the bioactivity of the volatile mixtures.

Honey is prized for its nutritional and healing properties, but its quality can be affected by contamination with toxic elements. This study evaluates the nutritional value and health risks of fifteen honey samples from different agro-climatic regions of Pakistan. Physicochemical properties such as color, pH, electrical conductivity, moisture, ash, and solids content were within acceptable ranges. ICP-OES analysis was used to assess six essential minerals and ten toxic metals. Except for slightly elevated boron levels (up to 0.18 mg/kg), all elements were within safe limits, with potassium reaching up to 1018 mg/kg. Human health risk assessments—including Average Daily Dose of Ingestion, Total Hazard Quotient, and Carcinogenic Risk—indicated no carcinogenic threats for adults or children, despite some elevated metal levels. Antioxidant activity, measured through total phenolic content (TPC) and DPPH radical scavenging assays, showed that darker honeys had stronger antioxidant properties. While the overall quality of honey samples was satisfactory, significant variations (p ≤ 0.05) were observed across different regions. These differences are attributed to diverse agro-climatic conditions and production sources. The findings highlight the need for continued monitoring to ensure honey safety and nutritional quality.