DOI: https://doi.org/10.55373/mjchem.v27i2.197

Keywords: Agarwood essential oils; Enzyme treatment; Microbial treatment; FTIR-ATR spectroscopy; Multivariate data analysis

Abstract

Agarwood essential oil is a highly prized natural product known for its unique fragrance and therapeutic properties. This study explores the use of enzymatic and microbial-assisted treatments for enhanced extraction of agarwood essential oils, aiming to improve the yield and quality while maintaining sustainability. Moreover, advanced Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) was employed for rapid characterization through functional and fingerprint regions comprising of the wavenumber region of 4000 – 400 cm^-1 of the essential oils. The multivariate data analysis techniques, including discriminant (DA), partial least squares-discriminant (PLS-DA) and principal component (PCA) analyses, were applied to the FTIR-ATR spectra as to differentiate the essential oil samples based on their chemical profiles of different essential oil extractions. The findings reveal that enzymatic and microbial treatments significantly enhance the efficiency of essential oil extraction, yielding sufficient volumes of essential oils. The FTIR-ATR analysis also successfully identified the unique spectral of each treatment method, while multivariate data analysis (MVDA) provided robust classification and discrimination of oils derived from different sources and processing techniques. Herein, this integrated approach demonstrates an efficient methodology for agarwood essential oil extraction and authentication, offering valuable insights for the fragrance, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. By combining advanced spectroscopic techniques with statistical modelling, this study establishes a framework for quality assurance and traceability in the production of high-value natural products.