An efficient method to obtain essential oil from Asarum heterotropoides via homogenate-microwave-assisted hydrodistillation and evaluation of Fusarium species inhibition activity in vitro compared to its main components

An improved method was investigated to obtain the essential oil from the roots and rhizomes of Asarum heterotropoides (RRAH) via homogenate-microwave-assisted hydrodistillation compare to conventional grinding process and the RRAH essential oil, methyleugenol, 3,4,5-trimethoxytoluene, and 3,5-dimethoxytoluene all had inhibitory effects on Fusarium species, with methyleugenol exhibiting the greatest inhibitory effect on them. We systematically explored some of the parameters that may affect the yield of essential oils. The maximum yield of the RRAH essential oil was 27.98 ± 1.4 mL/kg under the optimized conditions (22000 r/min homogenization speed, 3 min homogenization time, 460 W microwave irradiation power, 23 min microwave irradiation time and 23 mL/g liquidsolid ratio). Methyleugenol was the main component of RRAH essential oil (41.13%) analysed by GCMS. Studies on antifungal activity suggest that methyleugenol has potential and broad application prospects in the direction of preservative-related fields such as slow-release microencapsulation in the future.