Chemical Composition and Antioxidant and Anti-Listeria Activities of Essential Oils Obtained from Some Egyptian Plants

• Published in: Journal of agricultural and food chemistry Vol. 58; no. 16; pp. 9063 - 9070
• Main Authors: Viuda-Martos, Manuel, El Gendy, Abd El-Nasser G. S, Sendra, Esther, Fernández-López, Juana, Abd El Razik, K. A, Omer, Elsayed A, Pérez-Alvarez, Jose A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 25-08-2010
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - isolation & purification; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; antibacterial properties; antioxidant activity; Aroma and flavouring agent industries; Biological and medical sciences; chelating agents; Chemical Aspects of Food Safety; chemical composition; Egypt; essential oil crops; essential oils; Fat industries; Food industries; free radical scavengers; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; herbs; inhibition zone; lipid peroxidation; Listeria - drug effects; Listeria innocua; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Oils, Volatile - isolation & purification; Oils, Volatile - pharmacology; oxidants; Plants - chemistry; Rancimat induction text; Egypt; rosemary; Essential oils; marjoram; oregano; lemongrass; artemisia; thyme; Listeria innocua; Spice; Oregano; Antioxidant; Thyme; Oil plant; Marjoram; Bacteria; Rosemary; Chemical composition; Essential oil
• ISSN: 0021-8561; 1520-5118
• DOI: 10.1021/jf101620c

The aim of this work was to (i) determine the chemical composition of the essential oils of six spices widely cultivated in Egypt (Origanum syriacum, Majorana hortensis, Rosmarinus officinalis, Cymbopogon citratus, Thymus vulgaris, and Artemisia annua); (ii) determine the antioxidant activity of the Egyptian essential oils by means of five different antioxidant tests; and (iii) determine the effectiveness of these essential oils on the inhibition of Listeria innocua CECT 910. There is a great variability in the chemical composition of essential oils obtained from the six Egyptian aromatic plants. Overall, thyme (highest percentage of inhibition of DPPH radical: 89.40%) and oregano (highest percentage of inhibition of TBARS: 85.79) essential oils presented the best antioxidant profiles, whereas marjoram, lemongrass, and artemisia were highly effective in metal chelating but had a pro-oxidative behavior by Rancimat induction test. Lemongrass essential oil showed the highest antibacterial activity against L. innocua with an inhibition zone of 49.00 mm, followed in effectiveness by thyme, marjoram, and oregano.