Flower-based essential oils and encapsulation: a synergistic approach for bioavailability improvement

Essential oils (EOs) are intricate blends of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds sourced from various plant tissues like flowers, buds, leaves and bark. However, their clinical utility is significantly constrained by inherent physicochemical properties that limit bioavailability-including high volatility, poor water solubility and susceptibility to degradation. Encapsulation has emerged as an effective approach to overcome these challenges by entrapping the essential oil within polymeric nanocarriers, which acts as a shield, preserving their integrity. Techniques like spray drying, freeze drying, molecular inclusion and coating have been investigated for the encapsulation of these flower crop essential oils, with significant outcomes. Key findings reveal that cyclodextrin inclusion complexes increased the half-life of rose oil terpenoids by 300 %, while chitosan-based nano emulsions enhanced antimicrobial efficacy of jasmine oil by 5-fold. Additionally, liposomal encapsulation of lavender oil demonstrated a 70 % improvement in dermal penetration compared to non-encapsulated forms. This review provides key insights on using encapsulation for unlocking the full potential of flower crop-based essential oils. With optimization of techniques and careful material selection, encapsulation can successfully enhance bioavailability, stability and efficacy.