Fractionation of essential oils: potential application in the control of microorganisms

Medicinal and aromatic plants are essential to the planet's biodiversity, ecosystems, and biological history. Consumer interest in natural products has increased recently as they present chemical complexity, biological activity, and environmental sustainability. Essential oils and their components are widely used in the food, chemical, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries, in addition to growing interest in using these substances to combat fungi and agricultural pests. However, for the agricultural application of these mixtures to occur effectively, separation techniques or processes capable of producing specific and reproducible fractions can be used. This review aims to highlight the properties and applications of essential oils and their components and the importance of vacuum fractionation as a tool for controlling microorganisms. Therefore, the development of studies that assist in the sizing and design of essential oil fractionation columns is critical when seeking to predict the behavior of such complex mixtures, as well as the products to be obtained, aiming for efficient and economical use of terpenes as alternative control agents against microorganisms. Additionally, a brief discussion is presented on the types of distillation of essential oils: simple, fractional distillation, vacuum distillation, batch, and molecular distillation, all economically and energetically accessible methods.