Author(s)

Pilar Hernández-Sánchez, Santiago López-Miranda, Carmen Lucas-Abellán, Estrella Núñez-Delicado

Departament of Food Technology and Nutrition, Catholic University of San Antonio, Murcia, Spain..

Eugenol, both in its pure form (EG) and included in essential clove oil (CO) was successfully solubilized in aqueous solution by forming inclusion complexes with β-cyclodextrins (β-CDs) and its modified hydroxy-propyl-β-CDs (HP-β-CDs). To investigate the molecular association between β-CDs/HP-β-CDs with pure EG and essential CO, phase solubility studies were undertaken. Essential CO formed insoluble complexes with β-CDs, but not with HP-β-CDs. The work clearly demonstrates complexes formation follow an order higher than 1:1 when high essential CO and β-CDs concentrations were used, however it was 1:1 in the case of essential CO-HP-β-CDs complexes. When pure EG was studied the results indicated that EG could form 1:1 inclusion complexes with β-CDs and HP-β-CDs. Based on the studies, the Kc values for pure EG were 4555 ± 225 M^-1 and 10,633 ± 614 M^-1 for β-CDs and HP-β-CDs, respectively, and 2005 ± 199 M^-1 for essential CO-HP-β-CDs. These finding indicate that CDs are suitable for encapsulating EG.

Eugenol; Essential Clove Oil; β-CDs; HP-β-CDs

P. Hernández-Sánchez, S. López-Miranda, C. Lucas-Abellán and E. Núñez-Delicado, "Complexation of Eugenol (EG), as Main Component of Clove Oil and as Pure Compound, with β- and HP-β-CDs," Food and Nutrition Sciences, Vol. 3 No. 6, 2012, pp. 716-723. doi: 10.4236/fns.2012.36097.