Composition of the essential oil of Daucus gingidium L. ssp. gingidium

The essential oils obtained from leaves and fruits of Daucus gingidium ssp. gingidium have been studied. The main constituents of the essential oil from the leaves were sabinene (26.8%), α-pinene (10.8%), germacrene D (6.9%) and limonene (5.7%). Sabinene (60.6%) was the main compound identified in the essential oil of the fruits, followed by α-pinene (12.2%) and 4-terpineol (5.4%). Furthermore, qualitative and quantitative considerations about differences with literature data on Daucus carota have been made in order to confirm the species status of D. gingidium.     

Chemical diversity in curry leaf (Murraya koenigii) essential oils

Wild and cultivated Murraya koenigii leaf essential oils collected from ten Indian locations were investigated for their chemical diversity. The essential oil yields ranged from 1.2–2.5 ml/kg biomass. GC and GC-MS analyses revealed ninety compounds, constituting 93.8–99.9% of the essential oils. The highest concentrations of α-pinene (55.7%) and β-pinene (10.6%) were found in the essential oil of wild plants. α-Pinene (13.5–35.7%) and/or β-phellandrene (14.7–50.2%) were the dominant essential oil constituents of seven locations. (E)-Caryophyllene (26.5%, 31.5%) and α-selinene (9.5%, 10.4%) were the principal essential oil components of two locations. The odour profiles of the essential oils were distinctly different. Tetradecanoic acid, hexadecanoic acid, piperitone, cada-1,4-diene,1,10-di-epi-cubenol, γ-eudesmol, α-muurolol, (Z,E)-farnesol and (Z,Z)-farnesol are identified for the first time in curry leaf essential oil. The chemical diversity of the oils offers opportunity to flavourists to choose curry leaves and essential oils with preferential flavour composition.     

Phytochemical composition and antimicrobial activities of the essential oils from Satureja subspicata Vis. growing in Croatia

The present study describes the phytochemical profile and antimicrobial activity of Satureja subspicata Vis. essential oils, collected in Dalmatia (Croatia). Three samples of essential oils were obtained from the aerial parts of the plant by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC–MS. From the 24 compounds representing 97.47% of the oils, carvacrol (16.76%), α-pinene (13.58), p-cymene (10.76%), γ-terpinene (9.54%) and thymol methyl ether (8.83%) appear as the main components. The oils also contained smaller percentages of myrcene, linalool, β-caryophyllene, limonene, geranyl acetate, 1-Octen-3-ol, nerol, thymol and borneol. Furthermore, antimicrobial activity of the oil was evaluated using agar diffusion and broth microdilution methods. The antimicrobial test results showed that the oils had a great potential antimicrobial activity against all 13 bacteria and 9 fungal strains. Gram-positive bacteria are more sensitive to the investigated oil, with a range of 0.09 to 6.25 μl/ml than Gram-negative bacteria in the range which is significantly higher from 1.56 to 25.00 μl/ml. Results presented here may suggest that the essential oil of S. subspicata possesses antimicrobial properties, and is therefore a potential source of antimicrobial ingredients for the food and pharmaceutical industry.     

Essential oil composition of the turpentine tree (Pistacia terebinthus L.) fruits growing wild in Turkey

Constituents of essential oils from fruit samples of the turpentine tree (Pistacia terebinthus L.) collected from fifteen different localities of Turkey on August 2001 were identified by GC–MS. Twenty-eight compounds representing 92.3–100.0% of turpentine fruit oils were identified. The oil yields varied between 0.06% and 0.16%. The highest yield of oil was obtained from fruits of Antalya origin (Akba?-Serik) (0.16%). α-Pinene (51.3%), limonene (39.0%), p-cymen-8-ol (40.0%) and caryophyllene oxide (51.0%) were found as major components for different localities in Turkey. The predominant constituents in most samples were α-pinene (9.5–51.3%), limonene (tr-39.0%) and caryophyllene oxide (tr-51.5). Except for one collection (Manavgat-Antalya), which contained spathulenol (20.7%) and p-cymen-8-ol (40.0%), all the other samples yielded oils rich in α-pinene and limonene. β-Caryophyllene oxide is the most abundant compound in Hisarönü (?zmir), Alanya (Antalya) and Yaylada? (Hatay) oils. Results confirm the effect of locality on the oil content and composition.     

Chemical composition,antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of essential oil obtained from Ferula assa-foetida oleo-gum-resin: Effect of collection time

The properties of essential oils obtained from Ferula assa-foetida oleo-gum-resins (OGRs) collectioned in three collections times in 15 June (OGR1), 30 June (OGR2) and 15 July (OGR3) 2011 was investigated. Essential oil from OGR1 was constituted high levels of (E)-1-propenyl sec-butyl disulfide (23.9%) and 10-epi-γ-eudesmol (15.1%). Essential oil from OGR2 was constituted high levels of (Z)-1-propenyl sec-butyl disulfide (27.7%) and (E)-1-propenyl sec-butyl disulfide (20.3%). Essential oil from OGR3 was constituted high levels of β-pinene (47.1%) and α-pinene (21.3%). Inhibitory concentration (IC50) for radical scavenging were 0.012–0.035, 0.025–0.047 and 0.035–0.066 mg/ml of essential oil obtained from OGR1, OGR2 and OGR3, respectively. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) for Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi grpwth were 0.028–0.111, 0.027–0.107 and 0.018–0.058 mg/ml of essential oil obtained from OGR1, OGR2 and OGR3, respectively. Essential oils obtained from different OGRs have different composition and biological activity thus have different applications in food and health industry.     

In Vitro Determination of the Antifungal Activity of Artemisia campestris Essential Oil from Algeria

The chemical composition of the essential oil isolated from the aerial parts of Artemisia campestris from Algeria and its antifungal activity against 10 filamentous fungal strains were investigated. The A. campestris essential oil was obtained in a yield of 0.71% (v/w). The major constituents of the oil were α-pinene (18.65%), β-pinene (16.78%), β-myrcene (17.34%), and germacrene D (10.34%). Our study showed that A. campestris essential oil was a potent antifungal agent against some pathogenic fungal species. Fusarium graminearum was the most sensitive strain to A. campestris essential oil with minimal inhibitory concentration and minimal fungicidal concentration values of 1.25 µL/mL (v/v). The essential oil also exhibited a strong fungicidal activity against the tested fungi, except for Penicillium citrinum, P. viridicatum, and Aspergillus niger (MFC >20 µL/mL). Our findings suggested the application of A. campestris essential oil as a biofungicide in order to reduce the dependence on synthetic fungicides and ensure food safety and quality.     

Comparative evaluation of the antibacterial activities of the essential oils of Rosmarinus officinalis L. obtained by hydrodistillation and solvent free microwave extraction methods

Rosmarinus officinalis L. is a perennial herb that belongs to the Lamiaceae family. It is used as a food flavouring agent, and well known medicinally for its powerful antimutagenic, antibacterial and chemopreventive properties. Essential oils were obtained from this plant by hydrodistillation (HD) and solvent free microwave extraction (SFME). GC–MS analyses of the oils revealed the presence of 24 and 21 compounds in the essential oils obtained through HD and SFME, respectively. The total yield of the volatile fractions obtained through HD and SFME was 0.31% and 0.39%, respectively. Higher amounts of oxygenated monoterpenes such as borneol, camphor, terpene-4-ol, linalool, α-terpeneol (28.6%) were present in the oil of SFME in comparison with HD (26.98%). However, HD oil contained more monoterpene hydrocarbons such as α-pinene, camphene, β-pinene, myrcene, α-phellanderene, 1,8-cineole, trans β-ocimene, γ-terpenene, and cis sabinene hydrate (32.95%) than SFME extracted oil (25.77%). The essential oils obtained using the two methods of extraction were active against all the bacteria tested at a concentration of 10 mg ml⁻¹. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for all the susceptible bacteria ranged between 0.23 mg ml⁻¹ and 7.5 mg ml^−1.     

Screening of the antioxidative and antimicrobial properties of the essential oils of Pimpinella anisetum and Pimpinella flabellifolia from Turkey

The aerial parts of two endemic Pimpinella [Pimpinella anisetum Boiss. & Ball. and Pimpinella flabellifolia (Boiss.) Benth. ex Drude] were hydro-distilled to produce oils in the yields of 2.07% (v/w) and 2.61% (v/w), respectively. The oils were analysed by GC and GC/MS. Twenty-one and nineteen components were identified, representing 99.5% and 99.7% of the oils, respectively. The main compounds of P. anisetum were (E)-anethole (82.8%) and methyl chavicol (14.5%), whereas limonene (47.0%), (E)-anethole (37.9%) and α-pinene (6.0%) were the major constituents of P. flabellifolia. The oils were screened for their possible antioxidant activities by two complementary test systems, namely DPPH free radical-scavenging and β-carotene/linoleic acid systems. In the first case, P. anisetum oil exerted greater antioxidant activity than that of P. flabellifolia oil with an IC₅₀ value of 5.62 ± 1.34 μg/ml. In the β-carotene/linoleic acid test system, the oil of P. anisetum was superior to P. flabellifolia with 70.5% ± 2.86 inhibition rate. Essential oils of the plants studied here were also screened for their antimicrobial activities against six bacteria and two fungi. The oils showed moderate antimicrobial activity against all microorganisms tested.     

Comparative chemical composition,antioxidant and hypoglycaemic activities of Juniperus oxycedrus ssp. oxycedrus L. berry and wood oils from Lebanon

Juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus) is used in European cuisine for its distinguishing flavour. J. oxycedrus ssp. oxycedrus berry and wood essential oils were tentatively identified by GC and GC/MS. Fifty compounds were identified in the berry oil and 23 compounds were identified in the wood oil. The J. oxycedrus ssp. oxycedrus berry oil was characterised by high contents of α-pinene (27.4%) and β-myrcene (18.9%). Other important compounds were α-phellandrene (7.1%), limonene (6.7%), epi-bicyclosesquiphellandrene (2.3%) and δ-cadinene (2.2%) while, in the wood oil, δ-cadinene (14.5%) is a major main component, together with cis-thujopsene (9.2%) and α-muurolene (4.9%). In vitro evaluation of antioxidant activity by the DPPH method showed a significant activity for both oils with IC₅₀ values of 1.45 μl/ml for wood and 7.42 μl/ml for berries. Hypoglycaemic activity was investigated through the inhibition of α-amylase. The results revealed that oil obtained by hydrodistillation from J. oxycedrus ssp. oxycedrus wood exhibits an interesting activity with IC₅₀ of 3.49 μl/ml.     

Antibacterial activity of some Lamiaceae essential oils using resazurin as an indicator of cell growth

The aim of this work was to investigate the antibacterial activity of six Lamiaceae essential oils, against pathogenic and food spoilage bacteria. The chemical profiles of essential oils were evaluated by the means of GC and GC-MS. The major constituents of the oils were 1,8-cineol (29.2%), camphor (17.2%), α-pinene (11.5%) in Rosmarinus officinalis, citronellal (20.5%), β- geraniol (17.0%), β-citronellol (11.5%) in Melissa officinalis, 1,8-cineol (27.4%), α-thujone (16.3%), β-thujone (11.2%), borneol (10.4%), camphor (7.98%) in Salvia officinalis, linalool (25.1%), linalyl acetate (22.5%) in Lavandula angustifolia, thymol (52.4%), p-cymene (17.9%) in Thymus vulgaris and Patcholene alcohol (22.7%), α-bulnesene (17.1%), α-guaine (13.8%) in Pogostemon cablin. On quantitative basis, the amounts of 1,8-cineol, citronellal, 1,8-cineol, linalool, thymol and patchouli alcohol, calculated using calibrated curve with pure standard compounds, in the respective essential oils were found to be 28.4, 19.0, 26.7, 23.3, 51.1 and 21.1 g/100 g of oil, respectively. The modified resazurin microtitre-plate assay was used to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the essential oils and their principal components. All the essential oils analyzed presented inhibitory effects on most of the strains tested. Thymus vulgaris essential oil showed the highest inhibition. It was concluded that modified resazurin assay could be effectively used for reliable assessment of antibacterial activity of the tested essential oils against several Gram positive and negative bacterial taxa. The present results also demonstrated that Lamiaceae essential oils exhibiting higher antibacterial activity were generally rich in oxygenated monoterpens.     

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Vitex agnus-castus L. fruits and leaves essential oils

The following study deals with the chemical composition, antimicrobial activity of essential oils of Vitex agnus-castus L. and their main constituents in vitro and in vivo. The main compounds in the oil of unripe fruits were sabinene (17.8%) and 1,8-cineole (17.5%), while in the oil of the ripe fruits dominant compounds were 1,8-cineole (16.3%) and sabinene (13.4%). The leaves oil contained an abundance of 1,8-cineole (22.0%), as well. All of the oils tested were rich sources of α-pinene (12.2%, 9.4% and 9.4%, respectively). Antimicrobial activity was tested using bacterial and fungal strains by the microdilution method. Using the same technique 1,8-cineole and α-pinene showed very high antimicrobial potency as well. As 1,8-cineole was the predominant constituent of the oils, we have chosen to test it further in an in vivo experiment. Randomly chosen apples were treated with 1,8-cineol solution and infected with Aspergillus niger in order to provoke Aspergillus rot in apples. Disease incidence was recorded.     

Essential oil composition of Turkish mountain tea (Sideritis spp.)

The essential oil components of aerial parts from Sideritis bilgerana, Sideritis tmolea and Sideritis congesta were investigated by GC and GC–MS. The oil yields of dried plants obtained by hydro-distillation were 0.26, 0.33 and 0.83 (v/w), respectively. Fifty compounds representing 94.6% of the S. bilgerana oil were identified. The main ones were β-pinene (51.2%) and α-pinene (30.2%). Thirty-six components, representing 79.7% of the S. congesta oil were determined with high contents of muurol-5-en-4-a-ol (11.7%) and muurol-5-en-4-b-ol (33.0%). Fourty-four components were identified accounting for 89.6% of the S. tmolea oil. Major constituents were α-cadinol (21.9%), β-caryophylene (10.6%), calamenene (7.05%), muurrol-5-en-4-b-ol (7.05%) and α-pinene (5.1%). All oils consist of monoterpenic hydrocarbons, oxygenated monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. Muurol-5-en-4a-ol and muurol-5-en-4b-ol, at high percentages, were distinct components of S. congesta.     

Antibacterial activity of the essential oils of Salvia officinalis L. and Salvia triloba L. cultivated in South Brazil

The essential oils of Salvia officinalis and Salvia triloba cultivated in South Brazil were analyzed by GC–MS. The major constituents of the oil of S. officinalis were α-thujone, 1,8-cineole, camphor, borneol and β-pinene, whereas those of S. triloba were α-thujone, 1,8-cineole, camphor, and β-caryophyllene. The essential oils of both species exhibited remarkable bacteriostatic and bactericidal activities against Bacillus cereus, Bacillus megatherium, Bacillus subtilis, Aeromonas hydrophila, Aeromonas sobria, and Klebsiella oxytoca. Moreover, the essential oil of S. triloba efficiently inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus. S. aureus and A. hydrophila growth were drastically reduced even in the presence of 0.05 mg/ml of the essential oil of S. triloba.     

Variations in the essential oil composition in buds of six blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) cultivars at various development phases

The variations in the content and the composition of dormant bud essential oil in six blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) cultivars collected at various vegetation phases (from December 15, 2004 until April 19, 2005) were studied. Essential oil yield varied from 0.6% to 1.8%, except for the buds harvested in April, when the yield was considerably lower, 0.19–0.27%. Fifty volatile compounds were identified in the bud oils, hydrocarbon (38–55%) and oxygenated (on average 30%) terpenes being the major chemical constituents. Sabinene, δ-3-carene, terpinolene were dominant components, while cis- and trans-β-ocimene, α-thujene, α- and β-pinene, myrcene, α- and β-phellandrene, α- and γ-terpinene, p-cymene, cis- and trans-sabinene hydrate, terpinen-4-ol, α-terpineol, trans-piperitol, bornyl acetate, terpinyl acetate, citronellyl acetate, germacrenes D, β-caryophyllene, α-humulene, α-selinene, δ-cadinene and α-cadinol were found in reasonable amounts. Almiai may be considered as a superior cultivar, as possessing the most even content of oils ant the main constituents at all harvesting periods, except for April; however some other cultivars (Gagatai, Joniniai) accumulated higher amounts of oil at particular vegetation phases. January may be considered as a preferable harvesting time of buds; the amount of major terpenes at this phase was the highest in the all cultivars except for Joniniai. The concentration of the main oil compounds in buds harvested in April was 2–50 times lower than at other periods in the all six cultivars.     

Essential oil composition of commercial black tea (Camellia sinensis)

The essential oil components of different tea brands were investigated by gas chromatography. The oil yields of dried tea samples were ranged from 0.09% to 0.63%. Twenty-five compounds from Supreme and Lipton Yellow Label tea brands representing 98.0% and 88.0% of the Camellia sinensis oil were identified, respectively. The main ones were β-pinene (51.2%) and α-pinene (30.2%). Nineteen components from Tapal tea brand representing 76.7% of the C. sinensis oil were determined with high contents of muurol-5-en-4-a-ol (10.5%) and muurol-5-en-4-b-ol (31.3%). Fifteen components from Deer and Diana tea brands were identified, accounting for 83.3% and 78.2% of the oil containing α-cadinol and β-pinene. Seventeen components from non-branded teas were determined with high contents of muurol-5-en-4-a-ol and muurol-5-en-4-b-ol. Twenty-one compounds from non-branded Bangladeshi Shezan and Indian teas were also identified. All oils consisted of monoterpenic hydrocarbons, oxygenated monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes.     

Application of response surface methodology and central composite design for the optimisation of supercritical fluid extraction of essential oils from Myrtus communis L. leaves

Essential oils of Myrtus communis L. leaves were obtained using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and hydrodistillation methods. The experimental parameters of SFE such as pressure, temperature, modifier volume, static and dynamic extraction time were optimised using a central composite design after a 2ⁿ⁻¹ fractional factorial design. The chemical compositions of the SFE extract were identified by GC–MS and determined by GC–FID. The major components of essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation were α-pinene (31.8%), 1,8-cineole (24.6%), limonene (14.8%), linalool (8.3%) and α-terpinolene (4.8%). However, by using the supercritical carbon dioxide in optimum conditions, only three components represented more than 85% of the extract. Therefore, by using the proper SFE conditions, the supercritical extraction is more selective than the conventional hydrodistillation methods. The oil yields based on the hydrodistillation was 0.47% (v/w). Extraction yields based on the SFE varied in the range of 0.5–6.3% (w/w) under different conditions.     

Chemical and aroma profiles of yuzu (Citrus junos) peel oils of different cultivars

The essential oils of six different yuzu cultivars, Kumon (KUM), Nagano (NAG), Yasu (YAS), Jimoto (JIM), Komatsu Sadao (KOS) and Komatsu Koichi (KOK), were extracted by cold-pressing method. A total of 69 compounds of the six samples were identified. Application of GC-olfactometry and aroma extraction dilution analysis technique in three-fold stepwise dilution of the neat oil for all samples indicated eight odourants with the highest flavour dilution (FD) values. Those were limonene, α-pinene, α- and β-phellandrene, myrcene, γ-terpinene, (E)-β-farnesene and linalool. ‘KOS’ was differentiated from the other oil samples by showing the highest number of components having yuzu-like odour notes and also from the PCA analysis of the FD-factor values. This is the first time the aroma characteristics of yuzu essential oils of specified cultivars were investigated.     

Essential oil of Teucrium scorodonia L. ssp. scorodonia from Italy

The essential oil of the flowering aerial parts of Teucrium scorodonia L. ssp. scorodonia growing in Italy on Verrucano, was analyzed by GC and GC–MS. All the identified compounds were sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. The main ones were germacrene B (26.2%) and β-caryophyllene (25.2%).     

Comparative essential oil composition of various parts of the turpentine tree (Pistacia terebinthus L) growing wild in Turkey

The essential oil contents (dry weight basis) of young shoots, flowers, unripe and ripe fruits of the turpentine tree (Pistacia terebinthus L) were determined as 0.74, 0.70, 0.54 and 0.73% respectively. The main components identified by GC/MS analysis (the identified components represents 90.7, 96.1, 98.0 and 99.0% of the respective oils) were limonene (3.0, 9.4, 34.2 and 32.8%), α‐pinene (5.3, 12.4, 15.6 and 5.3%), β‐pinene (1.4, 8.0, 11.5 and 22.5%) and germacrene D (trace, 19.9, 3.5 and 4.6%). Minor qualitative and major quantitative variations in some compounds of the analysed oils were determined with respect to the different parts of the turpentine tree. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Phytochemical composition and in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of essential oils of three endemic Soqotraen Boswellia species

The chemical composition of three essential oils obtained from the barks of three endemic Boswellia species namely, Boswellia dioscorides, Boswellia elongata and Boswellia socotrana which were collected from the Soqotra Island (Yemen), was investigated. In parallel to that evaluation of their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities was also carried out. The investigation led to the identification of 72, 70 and 67 constituents for B.dioscorides, B. elongata, and B. socotrana, respectively. The B. dioscorides oil was found to have a high content of monoterpene hydrocarbons (32.8%) with α-thujene (9.3%) and α-pinene (8.3%) as main components. Whereas, the essential oil of B. elongata was characterised by high diterpene content (31.7%), in which incensol (14.8%) was found to be the major constituent. On the other hand, the oil obtained from the B. socotrana was found to be predominated of monoterpene hydrocarbons (26.4%) and oxygenated monoterpenes (30.7%) with p-cymene (13.0%), 2-hydroxy-5-methoxy-acetophenone (16.3%) and camphor (11.6%). All essential oils possessed antimicrobial activity especially against Gram-positive bacteria with MIC-values between 1.8 and 17.2 mg/ml. Furthermore, the DPPH-radical scavenging assay exhibited only weak antioxidant activities (28%) at 1.0 mg/ml.