A comprehensive review of essential oils in food systems: transformative insights into extraction, chemistry, industrial innovation, and future frontiers.

Eyasu Yohannis, Markos Makiso Urugo, Shamsedin Mahdi Hassan, Tilahun A Teka, Paulos Getachew, Ketema Bacha

Journal: Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.) 2026;226():118072

PMID: 41539783

Abstract

Essential oils (EOs), complex volatile compounds derived from aromatic plants, are experiencing a profound resurgence driven by consumer demand for natural products and sustainable green chemistry. Chemically complex, comprising terpenes, terpenoids, and phenylpropanoids, EOs exhibit potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties, underscoring their value as natural preservatives and therapeutic agents. Driven by the limitations of conventional methods, novel and green extraction techniques have emerged. This review provides a transformative synthesis of recent advancements across the EO field, highlighting the critical interplay between botanical origins, biosynthetic pathways, and extraction technologies in determining oil yield, composition, and bioactivity. A significant focus is placed on the technological evolution from conventional methods like hydrodistillation to innovative and green extraction techniques including supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). These techniques offer superior efficiency, lowered extraction interval, enhanced selectivity, diminished degradation, better preserve thermolabile bioactive compounds, and environmental sustainability. Across food and allied systems, applications of EOs are vast and expanding, spanning natural preservatives and flavorings in food, active ingredients in dermocosmetics, therapeutic agents in pharmaceuticals, and biopesticides in agriculture. Overcoming inherent challenges like volatility and poor solubility is being achieved through advanced formulation strategies, particularly nanoencapsulation, which improves stability, bioavailability, and controlled release. Finally, we delineate future frontiers, emphasizing the role of omics technologies for breeding superior chemotypes, AI-driven optimization of extraction processes, and the need for robust clinical trials to validate health claims.

Address: Department of Food Science and Post-harvest Technology, College of Agricultural Sciences, Wachemo University, P.O. Box 667, Hossaena, Ethiopia; Jimma University, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Postharvest Management, P.O. Box 307, Jimma, Ethiopia. Electronic address: [email protected].; Department of Food Science and Post-harvest Technology, College of Agricultural Sciences, Wachemo University, P.O. Box 667, Hossaena, Ethiopia.; Jigjiga University, College of Dryland Agriculture, Department of Human Nutrition, P.O. Box 1020, Jigjiga, Ethiopia; Jimma University, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Postharvest Management, P.O. Box 307, Jimma, Ethiopia; Somali Region Livestock and Agricultural Research Institute, Food Science and Nutrition Research Directorate, P.O. Box 398, Jigjiga, Ethiopia.; Jimma University, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Postharvest Management, P.O. Box 307, Jimma, Ethiopia; Department of Food Science and Applied Nutrition, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.; Center for Food Science and Nutrition, Addis Ababa University, P. O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.; College of Natural Sciences, Department of Biology, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.

DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2025.118072

MeSH Terms: Oils, Volatile, Green Chemistry Technology, Chromatography, Supercritical Fluid