Essential oils, kava pyrones and phenolic compounds from leaves and rhizomes of Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) BL Burtt. & RM Sm. and their antioxidant activity

During essential oil production from Alpinia zerumbet, large volumes of water and solid wastes are produced and subsequently discarded. An extraction protocol to obtain essential oil, dihydro-5,6-dehydrokawain (DDK) and enriched antioxidant phenolic extracts from fresh leaves or rhizomes of A. zerumbet and their wastes was developed. The main components determined in leaf oil were 1,8-cineol, camphor and methyl cinnamate, whereas rhizome oil mainly contained DDK and methyl cinnamate. The highest DDK content was found in the hexane extract of fresh rhizomes. Ethyl acetate extracts from leaves showed higher 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activities than those from rhizomes. Ethyl acetate extract from wastewater of leaves possessed the strongest inhibition to beta-carotene oxidation. Ferulic and p-hydroxybenzoic acids were the major phenolics present in these extracts. The results indicate that disposed wastes produced during essential oil production from A. zerumbet leaves or rhizomes may be utilized in foodstuffs as a cheap source of natural antioxidants. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.