The Impact of Selected Eutectic Solvents on the Volatile Composition of Citrus lemon Essential Oil

The development of new materials for the controlled release of molecules represents a topic of primary importance in medicine, as well as in food science. In recent years, eutectic solvents have been applied as releasing media due to their improved capacity to interact with specific molecules, offering a broad range of tunability. Nevertheless, their application in essential oil dissolution are rare and more data are needed to develop new generations of effective systems. Herein, three eutectic systems, respectively, composed of choline chloride and ethylene glycol (1:2 molar ratio), methyltriphenylphosphonium bromide and ethylene glycol (molar ratio 1:5), and choline chloride and glycerol (molar ratio 1:1.5) were tested as materials for the controlled release of an essential oil derived from Citrus lemon leaves. Through static headspace fractionation, followed by gas chromatographic analysis, the performances of the three systems were assessed. The specific composition of DESs was pivotal in determining the releasing polar molecules as aldehydes and alcohols. A sustainability ranking based on the EcoScale tool highlighted the superior characteristics of the choline chloride-glycerol DES.