**Lemon Grass (***Cymbopogon citratus***)**

**Lemon Grass (***Cymbopogon citratus***)**

#### Miss Phool Shahzadi Miss Phool Shahzadi Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.69518

#### **Abstract**

Lemon grass is, also called fever grass, a perennial plant with thin, long leaves that is indigenous to many Asian countries. Lemon grass contains citral, which is an essential oil, having medicinal and other useful significance. In the present work, essential oil 3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienal (citral) is hydrodistilled from lemon grass in the laboratory, 3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienal acetals (citral acetals) are synthesized from citral along with para-toluene sulfonic acid as a catalyst, which are used in perfumery, flavor, for fortifying lemon oil and has strong antimicrobial qualities. Infrared spectroscopy (IR) and gas chromatography (GC) were conducted for verification of chemical constitution present in essential oil and acetals of lemon grass. Nutritionally, lemon grass is a good source of vitamins A and C, folic acid, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, potassium, calcium and manganese. Lemon grass oil (citral) is hydrodistilled and IR and GC are conducted to verify its constituents.

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.69518

**Keywords:** lemon grass, essential oil, citral, ionons, vitamin E
