Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) Essential Oil: Extraction, Composition, Bioactivity and Uses for Food Preservation – a Review

era and 9000 species. This herb plant is widely distributed around the world. There are more than 140 cultivated species only for the Cymbopogon, 52 of them grow in Africa, 45 in India, 6 in Australia, 6 in South America, 4 in Europe (only in Montenegro), 2 in North America, and the others in South Asia. Cymbopogon exuosus and Cymbopogon citratus represent the two major species vastly cultivated for their essential oils in different regions of the world. C. citratus is known by numerous international common names, such as West Indian lemon grass or lemon grass (English), citronelle or verveine des indes (French), hierba limon or zacate de limn (Spanish), xiang mao (Chinese), capimcidrao or capim-santo (Portuguese), and locally there are identi ed more than 28 indigenous names from different countries of the world. The genus Cymbopogon has been reviewed comprehensively in several articles