Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Anzer tea essential oil

• Published in: Journal of the science of food and agriculture Vol. 87; no. 7; pp. 1424 - 1426
• Main Authors: Sekeroglu, N, Deveci, M, Buruk, C.K, Gurbuz, B, Ipek, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01-05-2007; Wiley; John Wiley and Sons, Limited
• Subjects: aerial parts; Antibiotics; antimicrobial properties; Anzer tea; Bacillus subtilis; Biological and medical sciences; Candida albicans; carvacrol; Chemical compounds; chemical constituents of plants; Chromatography; Coffee, tea and other stimulative beverage industries; Escherichia coli; essential oils; Food industries; Food microbiology; Food science; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gamma-terpinene; Mass spectrometry; Oils & fats; p-cymene; Staphylococcus aureus; Tea; terpinyl acetate; thyme; thymol; Thymus (Lamiaceae); Thymus praecox; Thymus praecox subsp. caucasicus var. caucasicus; volatile oil; Turkey (country); Volatile compound; thymol; Spice; p-cymene; Properties; Thyme; Antimicrobial agent; Tea; Terpene; Cymene; antimicrobial properties; volatile oil; Chemical composition; Essential oil
• ISSN: 0022-5142; 1097-0010
• DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.2847

Anzer tea (Thymus praecox, subsp. caucasicus var. caucasicus) naturally grows in the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. Anzer tea, a creeping plant with crimson-pink flowers, is important for honey production in the region. In the present study, content, composition and antimicrobial properties of Anzer tea's essential oil were investigated. Essential oil content of dried aerial plant parts varied between 1.53% and 2.05%. Essential oil composition was studied by means of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and 26 components were identified. The major components were thymol (47.45%), γ-terpinene (8.73%), p-cymene (8.30%), terpinyl acetate (4.88%) and carvacrol (4.66%). Essential oil was also screened for its antibacterial activity. In a screen for antibacterial activity, Anzer tea essential oil had significant activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans.