Obtaining and Characterization of Volatile Oils from Aromatic Plants

DOI

10.2991/isils-19.2019.83How to use a DOI?

Keywords

volatile oils, extraction, aromatic plants, antimicrobial activity, antioxidant activity

Abstract

The aim of this study was to extract the volatile oils from some aromatic plants and to investigate their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The volatile oils were isolated from dried parts of plants by hydro distillation using a neo-Clevenger apparatus. The volatile oils of basil (Ocimum basilicum), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), lovage (Levisticum officinale), marjoram (Majorana hortensis) and dill (Anethum graveolens) were tested in three different quantities against Salmonella typhi, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans by disk diffusion method. The antioxidant activity of the volatile oils was determined by DPPH free radical scavenging method. The highest percentage yield of extraction was obtained for basil essential oil (1.26%). Thyme essential oil exhibited the best antimicrobial activity. Thyme essential oil showed an inhibition zone diameter of 50 mm when 1.5 μl of essential oil were tested against S. typhi, B. cereus, E. coli and C. albicans. Marjoram essential oil provided antimicrobial activity against all tested microorganisms. The diameter of inhibition zone observed for 1.5 μl of marjoram volatile oil tested against S. typhi was 17 mm. Lovage, fennel and dill essential oils were active against some bacterial and fungal strains. Basil essential oil was the less active. Thyme volatile oil showed the best antioxidant activity (87.28%). It was followed by lovage (34.99%), basil (30.27%) and marjoram (18.30%) essential oils. Fennel volatile oil and dill volatile oil did not possess antioxidant properties. This study shows that essential oils extracted form aromatic plants can inhibit the growth of some pathogens. Some volatile oils also has antioxidant activity. Therefore, volatile oils could be investigated for their use in pharmaceutical and food products.

Copyright

© 2019, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.

Open Access

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Lidia-Ioana Virchea
AU  - Cecilia Georgescu
AU  - Monica Mironescu
PY  - 2019/11
DA  - 2019/11
TI  - Obtaining and Characterization of Volatile Oils from Aromatic Plants
BT  - Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium Innovations in Life Sciences (ISILS 2019)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 71
EP  - 74
SN  - 2468-5747
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/isils-19.2019.83
DO  - 10.2991/isils-19.2019.83
ID  - Virchea2019/11
ER  -