Technological trends in the extraction of essential oils

Essential oils are volatile substances of an oily nature present in all plants. They are industrially used as high-value substances for their biological properties in the elaboration of various products in multiple such as pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, etc. Today it is known that essential oils have a composite composition and are mainly made up of hydrocarbons and oxygenated compounds, being the trace components contained in these substances, those responsible for providing the odor they possess. Commonly, essential oils are extracted through so-called conventional, where high temperatures and solvents dominate the processes. However, nowadays, multiple emerging techniques have been used to carry out its extraction to achieve better yields, preserve the integrity of the components and reduce the environmental impact that conventional extraction systems imply. This paper addresses a review of conventional systems and emerging technologies that are currently used for the extraction of essential oils.