Bioactivity of essential oils from cultivated winter savory, sage and hyssop

Abstract

Species of the Lamiaceae family have enjoyed a rich tradition of use for flavoring, food preservation, and medicinal purposes, due to their curative and preventive properties. Cultivated winter savory ( Satureja montana L.), sage ( Salvia officinalis L.) and hyssop ( Hyssopus officinalis L.) are produced for seed, herb, and essential oil. Dominant compounds in S. montana essential oil were carvacrol (43.2%) and thymol (28.4%), while cis -thujone (27.1%) and camphor (19.3%), followed by trans -thujone and 1,8-cineole were the major compounds in S. officinalis essential oil. As for H. officinalis essential oil, cis - and trans -pinocamphone (41.1% and 20.5%, respectively) were the most abundant compounds, followed by β-pinene. The highest antimicrobial properties, as well as antioxidant capacity, showed S. montana essential oil compared to other tested essential oils. Furthermore, H. officinalis essential oils showed higher antioxidant activity than that of S. officinalis . The aim of this investigation was to determine the composition and bioactivity of essential oils of mentioned varieties. Presented results show that S. montana essential oil could be proposed as a valuable source of natural preservatives.