Juniper berry essential oils as natural resources of biological and pharmacological high-valuable molecules

Dried juniper berries (Juniperus communis L.) as a source of nutritionally valuable essential oil (EOs) were used for their isolation by conventional hydrodistillation (HD) and modern technique - microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MWHD). The chemical composition, and biological and microbiological potential of the isolated EOs, prepared by using different microwave energy power and microwave treatment time, were investigated. The essential oil kinetic release curves were mathematically modeled. Results of the research indicate that MWHD was a more favorable technique for EO isolation with higher biological activity than HD, where lower power of microwave radiation was more suitable for realizing a higher antioxidant activity. However, there were no statistically significant differences in the composition of essential oils obtained by different distillation techniques. Reduction of the isolation time of MWHD contributes to obtaining EOs with a very pronounced ability to inhibit excessive enzyme activity, while the production of EOs with strong microbiological activity requires a long isolation time. The EO of juniper berries obtained by MWHD could be characterized as a powerful natural product for the creation and formulation of new, as well as improving the quality of already existing food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic products.