Inclusion Complex of Exocarpium Citri Grandis Essential Oil with β-Cyclodextrin: Characterization, Stability, and Antioxidant Activity.

The purpose of this study was to produce and characterize an inclusion complex between β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and Exocarpium Citri Grandis essential oil (EEO), and to evaluate its antioxidant properties. The volatile compounds of EEO were characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer. A comparison of the β-CD, EEO, and the physical mixture with the inclusion complex revealed differences in their thermal stabilities and morphologies, which confirmed the formation of the β-CD-EEO inclusion complex. Complexed with β-CD, the β-CD-EEO inclusion complex showed a higher stability and antioxidant activity when compared with physical mixture and EEO. Therefore, β-CD can be used to form inclusion complexes with EEO to expand its potential applications in the food and drug industries. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Exocarpium Citri Grandis is rich in essential oil and other ingredients. The optimized extraction, constituent composition, and encapsulation of EEO in β-CD were investigated in this study. The results showed that the encapsulation process increased the antioxidant activity and stability of EEO, which provides both fundamental and practical knowledge for the application of EEO in the food and drug industries.