Maximizing Yield While Preserving Bioactive Volatiles in Cinnamon Essential Oil: Response Surface Optimization of Hydrodistillation and Microwave‐Assisted Extraction

ABSTRACT Essential oils derived from plants are secondary metabolites that can act as antioxidants and antimicrobial agents. Combined with consumer pressure for natural products, these compounds may be suitable as preservatives in food products and the extraction is essential for obtaining high‐quality oil. For this purpose, hydrodistillation and microwave‐assisted extraction were compared and optimized to produce cinnamon ( Cinnamomum verum J. Presl) EO using response surface methodology. A Box–Behnken design was applied to hydrodistillation, considering extraction time, solid‐to‐liquid ratio, particle size, and soaking time, while microwave extraction combined a fractional factorial screening with a subsequent Box–Behnken design, including solid‐to‐liquid ratio, time, and microwave power as factors, excluding soaking time. For hydrodistillation, quadratic models for global yield and volatiles were significant, with satisfactory diagnostic statistics, and the optimal conditions (240 min, 125 g/L, 1.0 mm) yielded 7.16 mg of oil per g of sample, corresponding to a 0.716% yield and 0.578% of volatiles. For microwave extraction, the model for global yield was adequate showing borderline significance but acceptable predictive metrics, and (100 g/L, 40 min, 300 W) yielded 18.95 mg oil /g (1.895% yield) and 1.527% of volatiles. Gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer analysis revealed that hydrodistillation produced a more terpene‐rich oil, whereas microwave extraction yielded an essential oil strongly enriched in (E)‐cinnamaldehyde.