Biological activity of essential oil, hydrolats and extract of selected wild medical plants and possibility of application in the food industry

Cilj ovog diplomskog rada bio je istražiti postupke ekstrakcije i predtretmane koji prethode ekstrakciji eteričnih ulja samoniklog ljekovitog bilja porodice Lamiaceae (Rosmarinus officinalis, Thymus vulgaris, Thymus serphyllum, Lavandula, Salvia officinalis) i Lauraceae (Laurus nobilis) na temelju dostupne literature. Kod proizvodnje eteričnog ulja zaostaju nusprodukti kao što su hidrolat, vodeni i biljni ostatak. Eterično ulje i navedeni nusprodukti zbog svog kemijskog sastava predstavljaju vrijedan izvor biološki aktivnih spojeva koji pozitivno utječu na ljudsko zdravlje. Eterična ulja i hidrolati sadrže visoke udjele monoterpena, dok vodeni i biljni ostatak polifenole. Primjena eteričnih ulja, hidrolata i biljnog ekstrakta ovih biljaka u prehrambenoj industriji je označena kao sigurna za korištenje, te je istražena njihova potencijalna primjena u prehrambenoj industriji kao prirodnog konzervansa. Također, istražena je njihova primjena u proizvodnji jestivih filmova i premaza kao i načini kvalitete eteričnih ulja i mogućih patvorenja. The aim of this study was to investigate the extraction methods and pretreatments that precede the extraction of essential oils of wild medical plants of the family Lamiaceae (Rosmarinus officinalis, Thymus vulgaris, Thymus serphyllum, Lavandula, Salvia officinalis) and Lauraceae (Laurus nobilis) based on available literature. In the production of essential oil, by-products such as hydrolate, aqueous and plant residues are left behind. Due to its chemical composition, the essential oil and the mentioned by-products represent a valuable source of biologically active compounds that have a positive effect on human health. Essential oils and hydrolats contain high amounts of monoterpenes, while aqueous and plant residues contain polyphenols. The use of essential oils, hydrolats and plant extracts of these plants in the food industry is marked as safe for use, so their potential application in the food industry as a natural preservative has been investigated. Also, their use in the production of edible films and coatings and ways to control essential oils quality as well as and possible forgeries have been explored.