INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
Pandan leaf ( Pandanus amaryllifolius Roxb.) is a tropical plant in a screw pine
genus. It is an erect green plant with fan-shaped sprays of long, narrow, bladelike leaves
and woody aerial roots which approximately 4 inches (10 cm) long. It is a source of
natural flavoring that is widely used in various parts of Asia including India, Thailand,
Indonesia and Malaysia. In south-east Asia, pandan leaves are commonly used when
preparing rice dishes as means of enhancing flavor. For example, non-aromatic rice
varieties are often cooked with pandan leaves to stimulate the flavor of the expensive
and aromatic type rice like basmati and jasmine rice. Fresh or slightly withered pandan
leaves are typically torn into strips, tied in bunch to facilitate removal than placed in the
cooking pot and finally removed at the end of cooking. Commonly used to wrap foods
like fish or shrimp, pandan leaf paste can imbue a dessert with sweetness and bright
green coloring.
When used in cooking and baking, the pandan leaf is often pounded into a sweet
paste that is diluted with water. The paste adds citrus and pine overtones and a green tint
to cakes, crepes, ice cream, and curry sauces. When making rice, panda leaves can be
placed on top of the boiling grains to add flavor and sweetness. It is also traditional to2
deep fry or grill chicken wrapped in pandan leaves. Pandan leaves have been used to
make thatched roofs, baskets and grass skirts. Additionally, this plant is believed to have
medicinal properties and is an effective and natural cockroach repellent.
Traditionally, pandan leaves are widely use to prevent some insect. It is said that
taxi drivers in Singapore and Malaysia keep bunches of pandan leaves (Pandanus
amaryllifolius Roxb.) in their taxis to ward off cockroaches. 3
The major component contributing to the flavor characteristic of pandan is 2-
acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP) .This hydrophilic compound has an odor threshold value as low
as 0.1 ppb in water. 2AP is also significantly contributing to the flavor of rice varieties
such as basmati and jasmine rice. It has been reported by Buttery et al. that quantities of
2AP present in pandan leaves (of the order of 1ppm) is more than 10 times of those
found in scented milled rice like basmati and 100 times of those found in common rice.
According to Wongpornchai et.al ,2AP is also occurs naturally in fresh Vallaris glabra
Ktze (bread flower) leaves with a concentration of 0.53 ppm. However, it is important to
note that pandan leaf is one of the best natural sources of 2-AP.
Figure 1.1 : Image of Pandan leaves4
Figure 1.2 : Image of pandan leave
Figure 1.3 : Use of Pandan leaf in dishes5
1.2 Problem Statement
Higher demand of essential oil as pharmaceutical, aromatherapy aid and
cosmetic ingredients give large opportunities for global marketing. The world wide
market for essential oil growth rapidly. A number of scientific researches presently
focused on the industrial development together with environmental preservation. In this
contact, it’s necessary to find the most appropriate technique or method to improve the
quality of essential oil.
Traditional extraction method used to obtain essential oil have several drawbacks
which are longer time consuming, have low extraction yields, laborious at higher
operational costing.
In this study, Soxhlet method will be used for extraction of essential oil from
Pandan leaves to overcome drawbacks mentioned earlier.
1.3 Research Objectives
The objective of this study is to investigate the performance of potential of
Soxhlet method in extraction of essential oils from Pandan leaves.