Surfactant‐Assisted Hydrodistillation of <i>Dictyopteris membranacea</i> Essential Oil

ABSTRACT In this work, surfactant‐assisted hydrodistillation using the nonionic surfactant Triton X‐100 is reported for the first time as an extraction strategy for essential oils (EOs) from the brown alga Dictyopteris membranacea , a species well known for its rich content of bioactive metabolites, including C11 hydrocarbons (sexual pheromones), sulfur‐containing compounds, and terpenoids. A range of Triton X‐100 concentrations was evaluated to optimize the extraction process, and the results were compared to conventional hydrodistillation, which yielded 0.12%. The extraction process exhibited three distinct phases: an initial increase in yield with rising surfactant concentration; a peak yield of 0.22% (w/w) observed at a Triton X‐100 concentration of 8%–12% (v/v); and a subsequent decline at higher concentrations. EOs obtained under varying surfactant conditions were analyzed by GC‐MS and GC‐FID to assess the influence of Triton X‐100 on their chemical profile. The results have extracting demonstrated a significant impact of surfactant concentration on the relative abundance of major compound classes, notably C11 hydrocarbons, terpenes, and sulfur‐containing compounds.