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The objective of this research was to explore the viability of pea protein as a substitute for gelatin in the complex coacervation process, with a specific focus on understanding the impact of incorporating an emulsifier into this process. The study involved the preparation of samples with varying polymer mixing ratios (1:1, 1:2, and 2:1) and emulsifier content. As core substances, black pepper and juniper essential oils were utilized, dissolved beforehand in grape seed oil or soybean oil, to minimize the loss of volatile compounds. In total, 24 distinct samples were created, subjected to freeze‐drying to produce powder, and then assessed for their physicochemical properties. Results revealed the significant impact of emulsifier addition on microcapsule parameters. Powders lacking emulsifiers exhibited higher water solubility (57.10%–81.41%) compared to those with emulsifiers (24.64%–40.13%). Moreover, the emulsifier significantly decreased thermal stability (e.g., without emulsifier, Ton = 137.21°C; with emulsifier, Ton = 41.55°C) and adversely impacted encapsulation efficiency (highest efficiency achieved: 67%; with emulsifier: 21%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Zingiber genus has been widely applied in food and pharmaceuticals due to its varied chemical composition and significant benefits. Zingiber plicatum Škorničk. & Q.B. Nguyễn was described in Vietnam in 2015, yet there has been no report on its phytochemicals and bioactivity. In this study, we first analyzed the chemical composition of essential oil and its antioxidant activities. Isolation of the rhizome essential oil was performed through hydrodistillation using a Clevenger apparatus for 3.5 h, then volatile compositions were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Additionally, the antioxidant activities were assessed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and ferric reducing power assays. The GC-MS analysis showed a total of 54 volatile components, mainly belonging to monoterpene hydrocarbons (57.69%) and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (28.98%). The main compounds were β-pinene (26.85%), α-pinene (11.73%), limonene (10.03%), and germacrene D (5.26%). The essential oil also showed antioxidant activities, with an IC50 of 84.53 mg/mL for DPPH scavenging activity and an EC50 of 17.3 mg/mL for ferric reducing power. These findings first provided data on the chemical components and antioxidant properties of Z. plicatum essential oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate cinnamaldehyde (CN) and clove oil (CO) effectiveness in inhibiting growth and killing spoilage and total aerobic bacteria when overlaid with catfish fillet stored at 4 °C. A 1.00 mL concentration of CO inhibited growth by 2.90, 1.96, and 1.96 cm, respectively, for S. baltica, A. hydrophilia, and total bacteria. Similarly, treatment with 1.00 mL of CN resulted in ZIB of 2.17, 2.10, and 1.10 cm, respectively, for S. baltica, A. hydrophilia, and total bacteria from catfish exudates. Total bacteria from catfish exudates treated with 0.50 mL CN for 40 min, resulted in a 6.84 log decrease, and treatment with 1.00 mL resulted in a 5.66 log decrease at 40 min. Total bacteria exudates treated with 0.50 mL CO resulted in a 9.69 log reduction at 40 min. Total bacteria treated with 1.00 mL CO resulted in a 7.69 log decrease at 7 days, while untreated pads overlaid with catfish resulted in ≥9.00 CFU/mL. However, treated absorbent pads with catfish at 7 days, using 0.50 mL and 1.00 mL CN, had a bacterial recovery of 5.53 and 1.88 log CFU/mL, respectively. Furthermore, CO at 0.50 mL and 1.00 mL reduced the bacteria count to 5.21 and 1.53 log CFU/mL, respectively, at day 7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton originated in the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats of South India. In order to compare the percentage of essential oil and its components of selected small cardamom landraces, the study was conducted at the Indian Cardamom Research Institute, Myladumpara, Idukki Dt. of Kerala. Essential oil components of nine farmer's varieties such as Njallani Green Gold, Thiruthali, Panikulangara Green Bold No.1, Wonder Cardamom, Elarajan, Arjun, Pappalu, PNS Vaigai, Pachaikkai; and ICRI-5 as control were compared to evaluate the quality of genotypes. Essential oil content was significantly higher in Najllani Green Gold (9.18%), followed by Wonder Cardamom (8.36%). GC-MS profiling identified twenty-five compounds contributing to 90-93% of essential oil. The higher percentage of 1,8-cineole was observed in PNS Vaigai (38.04%) and the control ICRI-5 (38.99%), while Panikulangara Green Bold No.1 had the lowest percentage (24.30%). a-terpinyl acetate was higher (43.39%) in Panikulangara Green Bold No.1 followed by Thiruthali (39.21%), and was lowest in ICRI-5 (35.97%). Panikulangara Green Bold 1 had a higher percentage of a-terpineol, Geranyl acetate, Geraniol and Linalyl acetate than other genotypes. The percentage of sabinene was higher in Njallani Green Gold (7.56%), and in the genotype, Elarajan (5.46%) was lowest. Due to the medicinal and flavour-contributing properties, the essential oil components can be used in medicinal and food industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of essential oil (EO) in treating infected wounds is still challenging. A lot of effort has been made to make such an application more convenient. Recently, microneedles (MNDs) have been considered as a smart dermal delivery system to overcome the poor absorption and distribution, low bioavailability, and skin penetration of some drugs. The aim of our study is to evaluate the wound healing activity of juniper-EO-loaded MNDs (EO MNDs) against wounds with bacterial and fungal infection. The Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) MNDs were prepared using the gel-filled mold technique and loaded with juniper EO. In vivo models were created and wounds on rats were infected with two clinically isolated bacterial strains Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Furthermore, Candida albicans was used to mimic fungal infection and juniper EO MNDs were tested. The obtained results showed an improvement in wound healing which started from the third day after application of the juniper EO MNDs, and at the sixth day post-infection, the treated wounds were significantly smaller than untreated wounds. A complete healing was shown by the 12th day after infection. Furthermore, our cytotoxicity results showed a cytotoxic effect of juniper EO MNDs on epithelial cells, which explained the faster wound healing in rats. Our study showed that juniper EO MNDs represent a novel strategy in EO delivery with minimal invasion. Juniper EO MNDs demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity against both the bacterial strains Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus and against one fungal strain, Candida albicans. Finally, application of juniper EO MNDs exerted promising activity in the treatment and healing of wound infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review aims to analyze Mentha piperita L. as a potential raw material for the development of new health-promoting products (nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products). A lot of scientific publications were retrieved from the Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases which enable the study and generalization of the extraction procedures, key biologically active compounds of essential oil and extracts, biological properties, and therapeutic potential of M. piperita, along with perspectives on the development of its dosage forms, including combinations of synthetic active substances and herbal preparations of M. piperita. The results of this review indicate that M. piperita is a source rich in phytoconstituents of different chemical nature and can be regarded as a source of active substances to enhance health and to develop medicinal products for complementary therapy of various conditions, especially those related with oxidant stress, inflammation, and moderate infections. Essential oil has a broad spectrum of activities. Depending on the test and concentration, this essential oil has both anti- and prooxidant properties. Gram-positive bacteria are more sensitive to the essential oil of M. piperita than Gram-negative ones. This review also considered some facets of the standardization of essential oil and extracts of M. piperita. Among the identified phenolics of extracts were caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid, eriocitrin, luteolin derivates (luteolin-7-O-rutinoside, luteolin-7-O-glucoronide), and hesperidin. The concentration of these phenolics depends on the solvent used. This review also considered the relationships between the chemical component and biological activity. The results showed that the essential oil and extracts reduced inflammation in vitro by inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and in vivo by reducing the paw edema induced using carrageenan injection in rats. Therefore, herbal preparations of M. piperita are promising medicinal and cosmetic preparations for their usage in skincare and oral cavity care products with antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing properties. This plant can also be regarded as a platform for the development of antibacterial preparations and combined anti-inflammatory and cardioprotective medicinal products (synthetic active substances plus herbal preparations). This review could be considered for the justification of the composition of some medicinal products during their pharmaceutical development for writing a registration dossier in the format of Common Technical Document. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In this study, it is aimed to research the antioxidant activity of 13 essential oils and 4 synthetic standards, which are frequently used in aromatherapy. Methods: The essential oils were determined by their 1,1-d iphen yl-2-picry lhydr azyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging abilities and the volatile components of the most effective essential oil were analyzed by GC-MS. Results: Among the essential oils, the one with highest DPPH radical-scavenging activity was clove essential oil (Eugenia Caryophyllus Flower Oil) (IC50 2.31 µg/mL). A low IC50 (half-maximal inhibitory concentration) value indicates high radical-scavenging ability. The IC50 values of DPPH scavenging of essential oils and standard antioxidants decreased in the following order: ylangylang, frankincense, thyme, cedarwood (23.11 µg/mL), ylang-ylang, eucalyptus, bergamot, rosemary, wintergreen, lemon, ginger, immortelle, myrrh, grapefruit (34.66 µg/mL), and patchouli (69.32 µg/mL). help_outlineThe analysis of clove essential oil with the highest DPPH activity was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and it was determined that it was mainly composed of eugenol (81.80%) and caryophyllene (13.90%). Conclusion: Clove can be used for medicinal and food preservation purposes as a natural antioxidant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cinnamon leaf essential oil extraction using steam distillation method is a time-consuming and energy-intensive process. Furthermore, a lower yield and a higher rate of product degradation are this method's main drawbacks. Thus, the goal of this research is to optimize the extraction process parameters of cinnamon leaf essential oil in response to maximizing the yield while retaining quality by using response surface methodology (RSM). The application of extracted essential oil on minced beef to assess its preservative effect was also the other objective of this research. Extraction time (120–210 min), extraction temperature (105–115 ℃), and feed mass (300–600 g) were the chosen independent variables of the optimization experiment using central composite design (CCD). Furthermore, the extracted essential oil's antibacterial and microbiological preservative activity on minced beef was evaluated. At extraction time of 175.43 min, extraction temperature of 105 °C, and a feed mass of 600 g, the optimum predicted value of cinnamon leaf essential oil yield and cinnamaldehyde concentration (% area) was 2.9% and 34.6%, respectively. Moreover, the second-order polynomial equation fits the experimental data for 20-run experimental data. The chemical composition of cinnamon leaf essential oil extracted at optimal conditions was dominated by eugenol (60.68%) and cinnamaldehyde (33.94%). Additionally, the optimally extracted cinnamon essential oil inhibited the growth of bacteria, particularly gram-positive bacteria. After twenty-one days of storage at 4 °C, total viable count of minced beef seasoned with cinnamon essential oil at concentration of 1.2% (v/v) was lower than 106 CFU/g. To conclude, optimized cinnamon leaf essential oil extraction process provides better yield while retaining its functional properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essential oils (EOs) obtained from Juniperus communis L. are frequently used in the production of bioproducts. However, there are no studies regarding industrial crops' production, allowing for better control of the quality and production of juniper EOs. To select the plant material for developing future crops of this species in northern Spain, four locations where this shrub species grows in the wild were selected and samples of both genera were collected. The EOs were obtained by steam distillation, and their chemical composition and bioactivity were evaluated. The results showed that the yield of EOs from male and female samples were within the usual reported ranges, varying between 0.24 and 0.58% (dry basis, d.b.). However, limonene content in three locations varied between 15 and 25%, which is between 100% and 200% higher than the values usually reported for other European countries. The antibacterial activity was determined by broth microdilution and showed that gram-positive bacteria were more susceptible to the tested EOs since, in general, lower MIC values were obtained compared to gram-negatives. The EOs from location 1 (L1F) and 2 (L2M) inhibited the growth of six out of the eight clinical strains tested. Samples from location 1 were particularly effective, exhibiting MBC against two gram-negative (E. coli and P. mirabilis) and one gram-positive bacteria (E. faecalis). Moreover, the majority of the EOs tested showed anti-inflammatory activity. Cytotoxic effect has been demonstrated in tumor cell lines, with the best results observed against gastric carcinoma (AGS) cells (GI50 between 7 to 77 µg/mL). Although generally presenting higher GI50, most samples also inhibited the growth of non-tumoral cells, particularly hepatocytes (PLP2 cells). Therefore, its use for their anti-proliferative activity should consider specific conditions to avoid damaging normal cells. Finally, the results and conclusions obtained led to the selection of the female shrubs from location 1 (L1F) as the plant material to be propagated in order to produce plants for a future juniper crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essential oils are concentrated liquids of intricate combinations of volatile substances, extracted from various plant parts. Several bioactive substances with antibacterial and antioxidant activities are abundant in essential oils. Some essential oils have also been employed in medicine. Due to the risk associated with employing synthetic preservatives, the use of essential oils as natural additives for extending the shelf life of food products has also drawn considerable attention. They are used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries for their functional properties. There are various methods for extraction, but both the quality and the percentage yield of essential oil never remain the same. So, innovative and non-conventional techniques of essential oils extraction from medicinal plants were evoled to get quantitative and qualitative yield. In the present article, we searched and reviewed innovative techniques used for the extraction of essential oils from medicinal and aromatic plants through electronic searches of PubMed, Medline, Wiley, Scopus, and Google Scholar. For the extraction of essential oils, several innovative/non-conventional techniques have been reported in literature. Extraction of essential oil by using innovative techniques retards the risk of losing the essential components of plants, maintains the quality, reduces chemical risk, extraction time, acts eco-friendly, and increases the percentage yield of the essential oils. This paper presents the success story of innovative extraction methods of essential oils in accordance with sustainable development and environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Juniperus communis L. is a species commonly grown in regions of the Northern Hemisphere, and is a good candidate to be cultivated in marginal lands. Plants coming from a pruning performed in a natural population located in Spain were used to assess the yield and quality of different products obtained following the cascade principle. A total of 1050 kg of foliage biomass were crushed, steam-distilled, and separated into fractions to produce biochar and absorbents for the pet industry using pilot plants. The obtained products were analysed. The essential oil, with a yield of 0.45% dry basis and a qualitative chemical composition similar to that described for the berries in international standards or monographs, showed antioxidant activity with promising CAA results (inhibition of 89% of the cell's oxidation). However, regarding antibacterial and antifungal activities, it only inhibited the growth of microorganisms at the maximum concentration tested, 2.5%. Concerning the hydrolate, it did not show bioactivity. Regarding the biochar, whose yield was 28.79% dry basis, interesting results were obtained for its characterisation as a possible soil improver for agronomic purposes (PFC 3(A)). Finally, promising results were obtained regarding the use of common juniper as absorbent, taking into account the physical characterisation and odour control capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grapefruit mint, Mentha suaveolens × M. piperita, belonging to the Lamiaceae family, is an important medicinal plant with applications in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, food, and nutraceutical industries. Environmental factors such as cold, salinity, and water deficit significantly impact the quantity and quality of the active compounds of medicinal plants. To examine the effects of drought stress and β-aminobutyric acid (BABA) as an elicitor on the biochemical characteristics and essential oil (EO) profile of grapefruit mint, a factorial experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design (CRD) with two factor and three replications under greenhouse conditions. The first factor included field moisture capacity (FC) as the control (100% FC), mild (75% FC), moderate (55% FC), and severe water deficit stress (35% FC), while the second factor consisted of 0 (control plants without BABA), 0.8, 1.6, and 2.4 mM of BABA foliar application. Water stress and BABA application significantly affected the EO content and composition of grapefruit mint. The highest content of EO was observed in mild drought stress and BABA spraying at 1.6 to 2.4 mM, which increased by about 140% compared with the control condition. The EO components were identified using GC-FID and GC-MS analysis. Linalool (33.7–47.3%) and linalool acetate (31.2–52%) were the most abundant compounds. The highest content of linalool acetate was observed in severe drought stress (35% FC) with foliar application of BABA (1.6 mM), which increased by 33.86% compared with the control condition. However, the highest content of linalool was observed under normal irrigation with foliar application of 0.8 to 1.6 mM BABA. Based on the results, severe drought stress reduced the total chlorophyll and carotenoids by 81.76 and 64.6% compared with the control condition, respectively. Water stress and the foliar application of BABA significantly affected the activity of antioxidant enzymes (ascorbate peroxidase, APX; guaiacol peroxides, GPX; and superoxide dismutase, SOD). The application of 1.6 mM BABA significantly increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes under water stress conditions. Finally, our results showed that the application of BABA (mainly at 1.6 mM) can improve the grapefruit mint yield and EO profile under water stress conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc; Zingiberaceae family) is an herb commonly used as a spice and remedy for a broad spectrum of diseases. The essential oil extracted from ginger is an effective antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antifungal agent. The present study has investigated the variations in yield and chemical composition of essential oils of two cultivars (Chinese and Thailand) of ginger locally available in Pakistan. Two different drying pretreatments were employed to observe the changes in compositional variations of the essential oils of ginger. The essential oil extracted from fresh, oven-dried, and sun-dried samples of two different cultivars of ginger was analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The essential oil yield was found to be highest for the sun-dried sample of each variety. The major compounds (>4%) overall in the essential oil of fresh, oven-dried, and sun-dried ginger samples from Thailand origin were camphene, 3-carene, o-cymene, caryophyllene, α-curcumene, sabinol trans, citral, and santalol. Major compounds overall in the essential oil of fresh, oven-dried, and sun-dried ginger samples of Chinese origin were α-pinene, Camphene, limonene, longicyclene, copaene, longifolene, β-sesquiphellandrene, alloaromadendrene, γ-muurolene, α-curcumene, α-farnesene, and citral. The inter-varietal variations and pretreatment methods considerably affected yield and chemical composition. Cluster analysis was performed to validate the results further. Significantly varying compounds responsible for the significant variation among varieties and treatments of the ginger were identifies by using the heat map. There was clear differentiation among Chinese and Thailand varieties due to the variation in the concentrations of the volatile compounds. The results obtained can be helpful for the ginger growers and end users to choose the ginger variety and the way of use that is more beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate the chemical profile and antioxidant activity of essential oils obtained from the most commonly grown plant species in Serbia. Aromatic and medicinal plants from Lamiaceae (Mentha x Piperita, Ocimum basilicum, Origanum majorana, Origanum vulgare, Salvia officinalis, Satureja hortensis, Satureja montana and Thymus vulgaris), Asteraceae (Ehinacea purpurea and Matricaria chamomilla), Apiaceae (Anethum graveolens, Carum carvi, Foeniculum vulgare, Petroselinum crispum and Pimpinella anisum) and Cupressaceae (Juniperus comunis) were selected as raw material for essential oils (EOs)' isolation. Hydrodistillation (HD) was used for the isolation of EOs while they were evaluated in terms of yield and terpenoid profiles by GC-MS. In vitro radical scavenging DPPH and ABTS+ radical activities were carried out for all EOs. Finally, a principal component analysis (PCA) was performed with the experimental results of the composition and antioxidant activity of the EOs, which showed a clear distinction between the selected plant species for the aforementioned responses. This work represents a screening tool for the selection of other EO candidates for further processing by emerging extraction techniques and the use of EOs as natural additives for meat products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lindera glauca is a shrub or small tree mostly distributed in China, Japan and Korea. However, reports on the biological activities of Lindera glauca fruit essential oil (LGFEO) are limited. The study on its chemical composition, and antioxidant and cholinesterase inhibitory activities were performed, along with molecular docking of six selected compounds. The LGFEO was extracted by hydro distillation and analyzed by GC-MS and GC-FID. Antioxidant activities of LGFEO were evaluated by three methods with different mechanisms. Acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activities of LGFEO were tested. A total of 48 components were identified representing 95.74% of the total composition of LGFEO in which the major compounds were (E)-β-ocimene (41.53%), α-copaene (13.17%), δ-cadinene (6.20%), 3-carene (5.89%) and eucalyptol (3.57%). Weak antioxidant activities of LGFEO in three assays (9.52, 11.36 and 38.98 μmol TE/g, respectively) were observed. LGFEO showed obvious cholinesterase inhibitory activities at the final concentrations of 50 and 20 μg/mL. IC50 values for acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase were 46.48 and 34.85 μg/mL, respectively. Molecular docking revealed that geranyl acetate, β-caryophyllene and limonene had lower binding affinities in the range of −7.1 to −6.1 kcal/mol through hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bond. Six compounds including 3-carene, limonene, eucalyptol, (E)-β-ocimene, geranyl acetate and β-caryophyllene could contribute together to cholinesterase inhibitory activities of LGFEO. This essential oil indicated low potential as natural antioxidant, but it could be potentially used as cholinesterase inhibitor with possible application in food, aromatherapy and pharmaceutical industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants have complex structural and biochemical defense mechanisms that can be activated before or after the attack of phytopathogenic microorganisms. Among these mechanisms are the proteins related to the pathogenesis (PRP) and the hypersensitive response through the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which exist in enzymes capable of reducing its toxicity to the plant. In addition to activation induced by biotic or abiotic factors, such as compounds or substances that stimulate biochemical activity, called elicitor substances, such as essential oils and their constituents. Studies in the area are necessary to deepen knowledge and reach the technical and economic feasibility of its use for the benefit of sustainable agriculture. The aim was to evaluate the enzymatic activity of melon plants submitted to the noni essential oil application (EO) and octanoic acid (OA). In different treatment concentrations, as well as fungicide Cerconil® (0.2%) and Yantra® plant stimulant. The enzymes that had their activity evaluated were superoxide dismutase (SOD), chitinase (QUIT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and catalase (CAT). Octanoic acid (0.1%) and essential oil (0.5%) were the primary activators of the enzyme superoxide dismutase among the treatments tested. The enzyme ascorbate peroxidase had its production increased by the octanoic acid at 0.1%. EO was the primary activator of the catalase enzyme at 2% concentration. The secondary metabolites activity of the Morinda citrifolia against microorganisms and as an activator of the defense system were confirmed, considered a potential compound for developing a bioproduct as a substitute for pesticides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Origanum majorana is a medicinal and aromatic plant that belongs to the Lamiaceae family. It is cultivated in several parts of the world and, due to its splendid aroma and taste, is widely used for culinary purposes and in perfumes. The essential oil of the plant, to which is attributed its aroma, contains many secondary metabolites with valuable biological activity. One of them is the pesticide activity, which has attracted much interest. Given the necessity of replacing synthetic pesticides, essential oils are studied in an attempt to find naturally derived products. Thus, the aim of this review paper is to discuss the chemical profile of O. majorana essential oil and to present data regarding its insecticidal, repellent and fumigant activity. Data were collected from 1992 to 2022. Databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect and Scopus, were used for the research, and keywords, including O. majorana, sweet marjoram, essential oil, volatiles, pesticide, insecticide and repellent activity, were used. The results of this review paper indicate that O. majorana essential oil can be an alternative agent to manage pests. However, still, much research should be conducted to evaluate its toxicity against beneficial insects and to ensure its safety for human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to examine the chemical constituents of Origanum majorana L. essential oils (EOs) that originate in Nepal, as well as their biological activities, antioxidant properties, and enantiomeric compositions. The EOs were extracted by the hydro-distillation method using a Clevenger-type apparatus and their chemical compositions were determined through gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Chiral GC-MS was used to evaluate the enantiomeric compositions of EOs. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the essential oils were determined by the micro-broth dilution method, and the antioxidant activity was evaluated by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging assay and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). GC-MS analysis showed the presence of 50 and 41 compounds in the EO samples, (S1) and (S2), respectively, representing the Kathmandu and Bhaktapur districts. The oxygenated monoterpenoids, along with terpinen-4-ol, were predominant constituents in both EO samples. However, the EOs from two locations showed some variations in their major components. The chiral terpenoids for two EO samples of marjoram have also been reported in this study in an elaborative way for the first time in accordance with the literature review. A hierarchical cluster analysis based on the compositions of EOs with 50 compositions reported in the literature revealed at least 5 different chemotypes of marjoram oil. The antioxidant activity for the sample (S2) was found to be relatively moderate, with an IC50 value of 225.61 ± 0.05 μg/mL and an EC50 value of 372.72 ± 0.84 µg/mL, as compared to the standard used. Furthermore, with an MIC value of 78.1 µg/mL, the EO from sample (S2) demonstrated effective antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans. Moreover, both samples displayed considerable antimicrobial activity. The results suggest that EOs of Origanum majorana possess some noteworthy antimicrobial properties as well as antioxidant activity, and hence can be used as a natural preservative ingredient in the food and pharmaceutical industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insect infestation of cereal grains during post-harvest storage not only causes significant grain loss, but also reduces grain quality and makes grains more susceptible to mold infection. Synthetic pesticides are banned from being used in organic grain storage setting due to their high toxicity. The main insect damaging stored corn grains is maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). The purpose of this study was to evaluate insect repellency and insecticidal potentials of some generally recognized as safe (GRAS) essential oils (EOs) (including cinnamon, clove, thyme, oregano, and orange terpene oils) at concentrations of 1–20% against the maize weevil using an olfactometer and a simulated fumigation method, respectively. The olfactory tests show that cinnamon oil had the highest repellency (90%) to the weevils among the EOs tested. The insecticidal activity study indicates that maize weevil mortality increased with EO concentration and storage time with cinnamon, clove, and thyme oils being more effective. No weevil death was observed at 1% EOs; weevil mortality was 3.3–36% at 5%, which varied with the type of EO and storage time. At 10% or higher concentrations, all tested EO showed comparable or higher insecticidal activity than pirimiphos methyl-positive control at its recommended concentration (5 mg/kg corn). No significant increase in weevil mortality was observed with further increase in EO concentration, with exceptions of oregano oil and thyme oil. The highest weevil mortality levels were observed at week 7 for 15% cinnamon oil (100%) and eugenol (100%), followed by 20% thyme oil (93%). The study indicates that some EOs have great potential to serve as synthetic insecticide alternatives to protect organic corn grains from maize weevil damage during storage. This is important to food security, safety and environmental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Winter savory (Satureja montana L.) is a well-known spice and medicinal plant with a wide range of activities and applications. Two subspecies of S. montana, subsp. montana and subsp. variegata, were used for the preparation of seven different extracts: steam distillation (essential oil (EO) and hydrolate (HY)), subcritical water (SWE), ultrasound-assisted (UAE-MeOH and UAE-H2O), and microwave-assisted (MAE-MeOH and MAE-H2O) extraction. The obtained EOs, HYs, and extracts were used for an in vitro evaluation of the antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS, reducing power, and superoxide anion methods) and in vitro antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Candida albicans. The antimicrobial screening was conducted using disk-diffusion assessment, minimal inhibitory concentration, time–kill kinetics modeling, and pharmacodynamic study of the biocide effect. The total phenolic content (TPC) was highest in EO, followed by SWE, MAE, and UAE, and the lowest was in HY. The highest antimicrobial activity shows EO and SWE for both varieties, while different UAE and MAE extracts have not exhibited antimicrobial activity. The natural antimicrobials in the S. montana extract samples obtained by green extraction methods, indicated the possibility of ecologically and economically better solutions for future in vivo application of the selected plant subspecies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the volatile metabolic constituents and anticancer potential of essential oils distilled from the rhizomes of four Malaysian Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberaceae family) varieties (Bentong (BE), Cameron Highlands (CH), Sabah (SA), and Bara (BA)). The ginger essential oils were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC qMS). A total of 58 secondary compounds were tentatively identified, representing 82.6–87.4% of the total ion count. These metabolites comprise mainly of monoterpene hydrocarbons (19.7–25.5%), oxygenated monoterpenes (23.6–33.7%), sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (21.3–35.6%), oxygenated sesquiterpenes (1.5–3.9%), and other minor classes of compounds (0.7–2.7%). Principal component analysis (PCA) enabled differentiation of the analyzed ginger essential oils according to their varieties, with respect to their metabolites and relative quantities. The antiproliferative activity against the HeLa cervical cancer cell line was investigated via the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The oils were found to exhibit strong antiproliferative activities with IC50 values of 23.8, 35.3, 41.3, and 42.5 μg/mL for BA, BE, SA, and CH, respectively. These findings suggest that the differences among the secondary metabolites and their abundance in different varieties of Z. officinale essential oils appear to be related to their antiproliferative potential. The strong antiproliferative effects of these oils signified their potential in the prevention and chemotherapy of cervical carcinoma treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of essential oil of clove against Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella Enteritidis were investigated. The chemical composition of the oil was characterized by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Stock solution of the essential oil of clove was prepared in 95% (v/v) ethanol (EOC). The antibacterial assays were performed by disk diffusion assay and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). The biomass of adhered cells and preformed biofilms after incubation with different concentrations of EOC was assessed by crystal violet. Eugenol was the major bioactive compound of clove essential oil, accounting for 78.85% of the total composition. The MIC values for L. monocytogenes and S. Enteritidis were 0.05 mg/ml and 0.1 mg/ml, respectively. The initial cell adhesion at MIC was inhibited by 61.8% for L. monocytogenes and 49.8% for S. Enteritidis. However, the effect of EOC was less marked on biofilm eradication than on cell adhesion. At MIC and within 1 hour of incubation with the EOC, the preformed biofilms were reduced by 30.2% and 20.3% for L. monocytogenes and S. Enteritidis, respectively. These results suggest that sanitizers based on clove essential oil could be a potential strategy to control biofilms in food-related environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rising public awareness of environmental issues, consumers are increasingly demanding skin care products that create less environmental impact but still provide the same or even greater efficacy. In the skin care arena, microemulsions have been receiving increased attention as the promising delivery technology of skin care actives. Essential oils such as peppermint oil, lavender oil and eucalyptus oil are purported to have excellent antioxidant and antimicrobial properties that could be used as the eco-friendly alternatives for synthetic antioxidants and preservatives in the skin care formulations. This work therefore seeks to develop eco-friendly skin care formulations based on microemulsions of essential oil. Peppermint oil, lavender oil and eucalyptus oil were used as the oil phase to formulate naringin-loaded microemulsions, which demonstrated similar or better antioxidant and antimicrobial properties compared to the synthetic ones. When formulated into gel form, naringin-loaded microemulsion-gel formulations showed enhanced stability and release profile over their unformulated counterpart. Hence, microemulsions of essential oil developed in this work conferred a 4-fold benefits to the skin care formulations: (1) improved release (membrane permeation) of skin care active, (2) improved stability of skin care active, (3) as an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic antioxidant, and (4) a self-preserving system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food safety is important to reduce food spoilage microorganisms and foodborne pathogens. However, food safety is challenging, as customers’ demand for natural preservatives is increasing. Essential oils (EOs) and their components (EOCs) are alternative antibacterial and antimycotic food additives. In this study, the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 11 different EOCs against 13 food spoilage molds and yeasts were investigated via the microdilution method. Cinnamaldehyde (CA) revealed the lowest MIC for all tested strains and all EOCs (32.81–328.1 µg ml−1 ). However, CA is organoleptic and was therefore combined with other EOCs via the checkerboard method. Overall, 27 out of 91 combinations showed a synergistic effect, and both respective EOC concentrations could be reduced by maintaining MIC. Thereby, the combination with citral or citronellal showed promising results. The concentration-dependent effect of CA was studied in further detail on Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with CA causing delayed growth-kinetics and reduced total cell numbers. In addition, flow cytometric measurements combined with live–dead staining indicate the fungicidal effect of CA, due to decreasing total cell numbers and increasing relative amount of propidium iodide-positive cells. In this study, we demonstrated that CA is a potent candidate for the use as a natural preservative against food-relevant mold and yeasts showing fungistatic and fungicidal effects. Therefore, CA and EOC combinations with respective lower EOC concentrations reduce organoleptic reservations, which ease their application in the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the utilisation of essential oils extracted from spices has been garnering interest due to their phytochemical constituents which could be extracted using various techniques. Studies have demonstrated antimicrobial activities from essential oils against foodborne pathogens, and thus, their application has been considered to be a possible preservative for foods. Pimenta dioica is a type of aromatic plant, and its essential oil is is rich in eugenol, a phenolic compound with wide antimicrobial spectrum. Other bioactive compounds in P. dioica extract include glycosides, alkaloids, carbohydrates, proteins, flavonoids, and tannins. The incorporation of essential oils into food is limited because they have an intense aroma, and might affect consumer acceptance. Therefore, nanotechnology is applied as a tool to rectify this limitation, and it is now possible to apply essential oils in active packaging, or to encapsulate them in biodegradable materials or edible coatings with controlled release. However, there is little information on the interaction of nanoencapsulated bioactive composites, and thus, it is essential to assess the viability of biomaterials before their use. The objective of this work is to show the use of the essential oil of Pimenta dioica and its phytochemical composites in a general way for its potential application in food technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to pesticidal activity, the capacity of natural compounds to inhibit the reproduction of parasites emerge as an important alternative tick control method. In this context, Satureja spp. stand out due to their recognized pesticidal properties. Among parasites of veterinary importance, the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus microplus, is responsible for great economic losses in livestock and transmission of relevant pathogens. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of the essential oil of Satureja montana L. on the ovary morphology of R. microplus engorged females through histological and histochemical techniques. The most remarkable morphological changes found were: cytoplasmic vacuolation of germ cells, irregular and thicker chorion, irregular oocyte shape, ring‐shaped nucleolus, decrease in protein and carbohydrate content in oocytes, in addition to cellular changes in the oviduct and pedicel. All morphological changes were assessed using a semiquantitative method already established in the literature. Ticks exposed to 5.0 μl/ml of essential oil showed the most significant changes when compared to control groups. Thus, the essential oil of S. montana L. damaged the reproductive system of R. microplus, which may impair ticks' offspring production and promote a long‐term control of this species. Highlights: The essential oil of Satureja montana L. affects the ovary morphology of the cattle tick.The main morphological alterations found were cytoplasmic vacuolation, irregular and thicker chorion and irregular oocyte shape.These alterations may impair the development of eggs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, it was aimed the the efficacy of Syzygium aromaticum essential oil (EO) on inactivation of Eschericha coli (ATCC 25293), Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 10031), Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6633), and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25925) inoculated to noodle was investigated by dip incubation method. The components of S. aromaticum EO were analyzed by GC-MS and found the main components as eugenol, (Z)-9,17-octadecadienal (25.96%), (-)-caryophyllene (5.29%), and aceteugenol. Broth Microdilution and Agar Well Diffusion Method were used for antibacterial activity of S. aromaticum EO. Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) of S. aromaticum were 14.8 mg mL1 for E. coli, 10.98 mg mL-1 for K. pneumoniae, 9.29 mg mL-1 for B. subtilis, and 9.8 mg mL-1 for S. aureus, while the inhibition zones were between 3 mm and 7.1 mm for the pathogens. In the study, 100 µL of clove oil have 100% inhibition effect on E. coli, K. pneumoniae, and S. aureus attached to the noodle. However, B. subtilis was found to be quite resistant. As a result, the essential oil appears to be effective agains both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mediterranean Agricultural Sciences is the property of Akdeniz Universitesi Ziraat Fakultesi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study determined the difference in oil content from separated parts of clove buds, full bud with crown, clove bud without crown and dust (stamen and style), and only crown along with dust from market sample. Results showed that the highest oil content in clove bud without a crown. Oil yield varied in clove buds from different geographical regions wherein, Madagascar showed the highest amount of oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three sample preparation methods (hydrodistillation, pressurized liquid extraction and static headspace) used for the extraction of terpenoids from various food matrices (cinnamon, thyme, cumin, fennel, clove, nutmeg and orange) were compared. Extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography−mass spectrometry qualitatively and quantitatively using a wide range of terpenoid standards. Quantitative and qualitative differences were found in the chemical compositions of the analyzed samples depending on the extraction method. Headspace (HS) was the most efficient extraction method as HS extracts were the most concentrated. This allows to reach the lowest limits of detection and quantification for the different standards extracted by HS (eugenol LOD by HS is 0.0022 µg/g against 0.03 µg/g by liquid injection). Furthermore, as HS is a simple, rapid, solventless and automated extraction method, it should be considered as an alternative technique to hydrodistillation or pressurized liquid extraction when quantifying terpenoids in food matrices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Erzincan University Journal of Science & Technology is the property of Erzincan Binali Yildirim Universitesi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from Cupressus arizonica Greene, Juniperus communis L. and Mentha longifolia L. were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. The chemical composition of the essential oils were identified by GC/MS. Eicosane (27.4%), umbellulone (13%) and a-pinene (10.51%) were the major components of C. arizonica oil; sabinene (32%), limonene (26%) and bornyl acetate (7.4%) were the major components of J. communis oil and pulegone (26%), L-menthone (13.4%) and cis-para-menthan-3,8-diol (10.2%) were the major components of M. longifolia oil. The percentage of monoterpenes in the three essential oils was compared. The percentage of monoterpenes in C.arizonica is about 5.2%, J. communis 46%, and M. longifolia is 50.1%. The percentage of terpenes in C. Arizonica (16.3%), J. communis (5.2%) and M. longifolia (9.3%) were reported. But the percentage of cyclic monoterpenes in C. arizonica is about 6%, J. communis 26.1%, and M. longifolia is 3%. Monoterpenes are the most components that make up essential oils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In this study, larvicidal activity of clove essential oil (EO), as a green and relatively potent larvicide, was compared with its main constituent, Eugenol, against Anopheles stephensi. Methods: High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine the amount of eugenol, major constituent of clove EO. In addition, larvicidal activity of clove EO and eugenol was evaluated against An. stephensi. Results: The amount of eugenol in clove EO was determined as 67% using HPLC analysis. LC50 and LC90 of clove EO (57.49 and 93.14ppm, respectively) were significantly lower than those of eugenol (86.96 and 128.18 ppm, respectively). Conclusion: EO showed more effective than its major component. Considering the lower cost of the essential oil and lower risk in occurrence of resistance in larvae, use of clove EO is preferred as larvicide in comparison with eugenol, against An. stephensi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the chemical composition, the antioxidant, and the antibacterial activities of two Moroccan essential oils less studied, extracted from Pelargonium asperum and Ormenis mixta, were investigated. According to the gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry analysis, citronellol (25.07%), citronellyl ester (10.52%), geraniol (10.46%), and buthyl anthranilate (5.93%) were found to be the major components of P. asperum, while O. mixta was mainly composed of D-germacrene (11.46%), 1,8-cineole (10.28%), and cis-methyl isoeugenol (9.04%). Moreover, O. mixta essential oil exhibited an important antioxidant activity being significantly higher than that exhibited by P. asperum oil (P < 0.001). As regards the antimicrobial activity of both essential oils, the zones of growth inhibition and the minimum inhibitory concentration values showed that P. asperum essential oil was more active than that of O. mixta. Thereafter, the impact of the binary combination of essential oils on their antimicrobial effect was investigated against Staphylococcus aureus using the fractional inhibitory concentration index calculation. The results showed a promising synergistic antibacterial interaction between essential oils studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants of the genus Zingiber (Family Zingiberaceae) are widely used throughout the world as food and medicinal plants. They represent very popular herbal remedies in various traditional healing systems; in particular, rhizome of Zingiber spp. plants has a long history of ethnobotanical uses because of a plethora of curative properties. Antimicrobial activity of rhizome essential oil has been extensively confirmed in vitro and attributed to its chemical components, mainly consisting of monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons such as α-zingiberene, ar-curcumene, β-bisabolene and β-sesquiphellandrene. In addition, gingerols have been identified as the major active components in the fresh rhizome, whereas shogaols, dehydrated gingerol derivatives, are the predominant pungent constituents in dried rhizome. Zingiber spp. may thus represent a promising and innovative source of natural alternatives to chemical food preservatives. This approach would meet the increasing concern of consumers aware of the potential health risks associated with the conventional antimicrobial agents in food. This narrative review aims at providing a literature overview on Zingiber spp. plants, their cultivation, traditional uses, phytochemical constituents and biological activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essential oil ofMentha canadensisaerial parts was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromaotography-mas spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 36 components of the essential oil were identified. The major constituents in the essential oil ofM. canadensiswere menthol (28.8 %), α-pinene (16.4 %), menthone (12.7 %), α-terpineol (6.3 %) and limonene (5.5 %). Four active constituents (limonene, menthol, α-pinene and α-terpinol) were isolated from the essential oil ofM. canadensisbased on bioactivity-directed fractionation. The essential oil ofM. canadensisaerial parts exhibited nematicidal activity against cereal cyst nematodes (Heterodera avenae) and root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita) with LC values of 385.7 μg/ml and 139.0 μg/ml, respectively. The isolated constituents, menthol and α-terpinol possessed nematicidal activity againstH. avenaeandM. incognitawith LC50values of 242.5 μg/ml, 190.3 μg/ml and 147.4 μg/ml, 115.2 μg/ml, respectively. The study indicated that the essential oil ofM. canadensisaerial parts and its two major constituents, α-terpineol and menthol have a potential to be developed to a natural nematicides for the control of nematodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essential oil of clove has a wide range of pharmacological and biological activities and is widely used in the medicine, fragrance and flavoring industries. In this work, 22 components of the essential oil obtained from clove buds were identified. Eugenol was the major component (76.23%). The essential oil exhibited strong antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.625 mg/mL, and the antibacterial effects depended on its concentration and action time. Kill-time assays also confirmed the essential oil had a significant effect on the growth rate of surviving S. aureus. We hypothesized that the essential oil may interact with the cell wall and membrane first. On the one hand it destroys cell wall and membranes, next causing the losses of vital intracellular materials, which finally result in the bacterial death. Besides, essential oil penetrates to the cytoplasmic membrane or enters inside the cell after destruction of cell structure, and then inhibits the normal synthesis of DNA and proteins that are required for bacterial growth. These results suggested that the effects of the clove essential oil on the growth inhibition of S. aureus may be at the molecular level rather than only physical damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Satureja(Lamiaceae) species are used as flavoring compounds in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries because of its sweetness and simple cultivation characteristics. They have traditionally been used as muscle pain relievers, tonic, and carminative agents to treat stomach and intestinal disorders such as cramps, nausea, indigestion, and diarrhea, due to their considerable phytochemical characteristics. Objective: This review evaluates some information published since 1989 onSaturejagenus from a systematic perspective in terms of its pharmacological and phytochemical characteristics. Materials and methods: Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases were searched up to March 2014. “Satureja” was used as a research term without narrowing or limiting research elements. After obtaining all reports from database (a total number is about 637), the papers were carefully analyzed in order to find data related to the topic of this review. Results: In this review, 453 reports were used which were published between 1989 and 2014. The study was compiled into two sections (Pharmacology and Phytochemistry). In the pharmacology section, more than 50 different activities were studied. In the second section, in addition to other compounds and inorganic substances, volatiles, phenolic acids, and flavonoids were discussed. Discussion and conclusion: According to our contemporary information,Saturejaspecies have been evaluated for their wide range of biological activities. However, a small part of these studies have been carried out on the active principles. Therefore, in the future, more studies should be carried out to identify responsible phytochemicals for the various activities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Introduction: The present study was aimed to analyse the chemical composition, antioxidant potential and antibacterial activity in the leaf essential oil of Syzygium lanceolatum Methods: The essential oil was isolated by hydrodistillation method using a Clevenger type apparatus. The chemical composition of leaf essential oil was analysed by GC-MS. Antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assay. Antibacterial potential was tested against six bacterial strains. Results: GC-MS analysis revealed 2,8-Dimethyl-7-methylene-1,8-nonadien-3-yne (9.77%), Germacrene D (7.45%) as the major constituents and Linalool, β-Selinene (0.03%), Santalol (0.02%) were present in trace amounts. Maximum free-radical scavenging activity (69.97%) was observed at 500 ppm by the essential oil of S. lanceolatum, while the synthetic antioxidant Gallic acid showed 90.93% inhibition at the same concentration. The IC50 value of leaf essential oil and standard gallic acid were 219.24 ± 5.82 ppm and 159.84 ± 2.7 ppm respectively. In ABTS analysis, the oil showed the percentage inhibition in concentration dependent manner. 500 ppm concentration of oil showed 73.01% free-radical inhibition while the gallic acid exhibited 90.4% inhibition. The IC50 value of leaf essential oil and standard were 169.68 ± 3.09 ppm and 217.09 ± 0.70 ppm respectively. Antibacterial activity of leaf essential oil was tested against six bacterial strains and it was effective against all the strains. Conclusion: A total of 106 compounds were identified from the leaf essential oil and alkynes were the major class of compound, followed by the sesquiterpenes. The DPPH radical scavenging assay confirmed the antioxidant potential of the essential oil. Antibacterial activity tests proved that it is a potent growth inhibitor of pathogenic microbes. The present study throws light on the bioactive composition of S. lancoelatum essential oil and further studies will confirm the mode of action of these compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Food Science (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) is the property of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Boletín Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Plantas Medicinales y Aromáticas is the property of Universidad de Santiago de Chile and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Three different biochemical test systems were chosen based on their solubility to study the antioxidant activity of ginger extracts. Reducing power and DPPH.scavenging activity tests were considered to produce hydrophilic environments and the H2O2test was considered as creating a lipophilic environment. The average yields were 10.23 ± 1.02% and 0.48 ± 0.19% for oleoresin and essential oil, respectively. The content of total phenols was 67.6 ± 1.08 mg GAE/g of dry extract. In terms of EC50, in hydrophilic environment standards, it showed the highest effects compared to ginger extracts, with oleoresin presenting more activity than essential oil. In contrast, except for quercetin, essential oil showed the best scavenging activity in inhibiting H2O2compared to all other antioxidants. The present work demonstrated that, when using reducing power, DPPH· free radical scavenging and H2O2scavenging assays, the same ginger extracts exhibit different antioxidant activities, which were affected not only by the extract itself but also by the chemical environment (hydrophilic/lipophilic). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clove oil and citronella oil from China were selected to evaluate their potential as skin-care ingredients. The gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) results showed that the main component of clove oil was eugenol, while citronellal was the main compound of citronella oil. Clove oil exhibited prominent free radical scavenging activities (ic50: 58 μg/mL for O2−· and 8.5 μg/mL for ABTS+·) and strong inhibitory effect on lipid peroxidation, whilst citronella oil showed weaker antioxidative activities (ic50: 150 μg/mL for O2−· and 500 μg/mL for ABTS+·) and lipid peroxidation inhibitory efficiency. In addition, both oils revealed dose-dependence in protecting bovine serum albumin against UV–TiO2–NO2− induced protein oxidation and tyrosine nitration injury. This study suggests that both clove oil and citronella oil could be used as new source of skin-care ingredient in the cosmetic industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences is the property of Teaduste Akadeemia Kirjastus and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Cinnamomum tamalaNees and Eberm (tejpat) andPimenta dioica(L.) Merr (pimento) leaves are commonly used for flavouring food and widely used in pharmaceutical preparations because of their hypoglycemic, carminative and stimulant properties. In this study, we compared the chemical composition and antioxidant activities of tejpat and pimento essential oils by employing variousin vitromethods. GC and GC-MS analyses were done to find out the chemical composition, and the main constituent identified in tejpat and pimento leaf oils was eugenol. Both the oils showed significant radical scavenging activity against DPPH and superoxide radicals with a potent metal chelating activity and were compared with that of standard compound, eugenol. Among the two oils, tejpat oil showed better activity in terms of antioxidative potential. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder, which may result from alteration of the gastrointestinal microbiota following gastrointestinal infection, or with intestinal dysbiosis or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. This may be treated with antibiotics, but there is concern that widespread antibiotic use might lead to antibiotic resistance. Some herbal medicines have been shown to be beneficial, but their mechanism(s) of action remain incompletely understood. To try to understand whether antibacterial properties might be involved in the efficacy of these herbal medicines, and to investigate potential new treatments for IBS, we have conducted a preliminary study in vitro to compare the antibacterial activity of the essential oils of culinary and medicinal herbs against the bacterium, Esherichia coli. Methods: Essential oils were tested for their ability to inhibit E. coli growth in disc diffusion assays and in liquid culture, and to kill E. coli in a zone of clearance assay. Extracts of coriander, lemon balm and spearmint leaves were tested for their antibacterial activity in the disc diffusion assay. Disc diffusion and zone of clearance assays were analysed by two-tailed t tests whereas ANOVA was performed for the turbidometric assays. Results: Most of the oils exhibited antibacterial activity in all three assays, however peppermint, lemon balm and coriander seed oils were most potent, with peppermint and coriander seed oils being more potent than the antibiotic rifaximin in the disc diffusion assay. The compounds present in these oils were identified by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Finally, extracts were made of spearmint, lemon balm and coriander leaves with various solvents and these were tested for their antibacterial activity against E. coli in the disc diffusion assay. In each case, extracts made with ethanol and methanol exhibited potent antibacterial activity. Conclusions: Many of the essential oils had antibacterial activity in the three assays, suggesting that they would be good candidates for testing in clinical trials. The observed antibacterial activity of ethanolic extracts of coriander, lemon balm and spearmint leaves suggests a mechanistic explanation for the efficacy of a mixture of coriander, lemon balm and mint extracts against IBS in a published clinical trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vegetal species Pimenta dioica Lindl, popularly known as Jamaican pepper, is a 6-15 m tall tree, which belongs to the Mirtaceae family. Its fruits have an essential oil of great economic value in the international market, due to its high level of eugenol (its major compound), which is largely used in chemical and pharmaceutical industries. In this work, the extraction of the essential oil from the fruits of Pimenta dioica Lindl was carried out by the hydrodistillation method, using a modified Clevenger system. It was observed that the volume of the extracted oil reaches a maximum at 4 h, with a yield of 2.7% (m/m). The essential oil was characterized by physico-chemical analyses, such as density, refraction index, ethanol solubility, color, and appearance, besides UV-vis and infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Thus, eugenol was confirmed as the major component of the essential oil of Pimenta dioica Lindl (77%). The technique of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used for the determination of boiling point of the sample of essential oil from the fruits of Pimenta dioica (L.). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The composition and antioxidant activity of the essential oil obtained through hydrodistillation of pimento berry [Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr] samples, namely P1 and P2, sourced from Jamaica, were studied. The chemical composition was analysed by GC and GC-MS methods. The antioxidant activities of the oils were evaluated in terms of their free-radical-scavenging activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) radical cation and superoxide anion ( [image omitted]). Total phenolic content, total reducing power and metal-chelating capacity of the oils were also estimated. Forty-five constituents were identified. The major compound identified was eugenol (74.71%, 73.35%), followed by methyl eugenol (4.08%, 9.54%) and caryophyllene (4.90%, 3.30%). The antioxidant assays showed that the oils possess very high radical scavenging activities (DPPH IC50 4.82 ± 0.08, 5.14 ± 0.11 µg mL-1, ABTS IC50 2.27 ± 0.16, 2.94 ± 0.03 µg mL-1, superoxide IC50 17.78 ± 1.31, 20.65 ± 0.82 µg mL-1). The metal chelating capacities (IC50 83.62 ± 2.10, 101.77 ± 1.01 µg mL-1) and reducing power were also very high. The results show that the essential oils possess significant antioxidant activity which is comparable to that of pure eugenol. Therefore the oil can be utilised as a natural antioxidant which gives good flavour as well as health benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salicylic acid (SA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJa) are prominent phytohormones that are involved in stress reactions. Both compounds may influence the biosynthesis of secondary compounds; however, scientific experiments in vivo are rare and contradictive. This paper reports on a study on the elicitation of volatiles and total phenolics (TPC) by MeJa and SA. The subjects were four Lamiaceae species studied in open field conditions in Budapest (Hungary). According to the results, both elicitors provoked specific responses in each plant species depending on the dosage applied and the parameter studied; 2 mM of SA stimulated essential oil (EO) accumulation in marjoram and peppermint, while in hyssop 0.1 mM was optimal. MeJa proved to be effective only in marjoram and in basil. In marjoram, cis-sabinene hydrate was decreased and in hyssop, isopinocamphone was increased by both dosages of SA. In peppermint, pulegone content was reduced by 2 mM SA, but no significant change of the major components of basil EO was detected. SA was successful in increasing TPC and antioxidant activity (AC) in three of the experimental species, but not in hyssop. In marjoram, only 0.1 mM induced TPC and eventually AC, while in peppermint and basil both dosages of SA were effective. Optimalisation of the treatments is suggested in further in vivo experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of ITU Journal Series C: Basic Sciences is the property of Istanbul Technical University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)