Multi drug resistant pathogenic bacteria are posing a serious problem for the current world. Thus in the search for novel antibiotics traditional plants have been proved to be potent source for antimicrobial agents. Zingiberaceae family constitutes a vital group of rhizomatous medicinal and aromatic plants characterised by the presence of volatile oils and oleoresins of export value. Since the ...

Introduction Essential oils are characterized by a strong odour and are a mixture of natural, complex volatile compounds. Essential oils are used invariably in the preservation of foods, sedative, spasmolytic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and local anesthetic remedies [1]. They have a special fragrance and known for their microbial properties [2]. So, they find applications as naturally occurri...

Plant essential oils are complex mixtures of volatile organic compounds, which play indispensable roles in the environment, for the plant itself, as well as for humans. The potential biological information stored in essential oil composition data can provide an insight into the silent language of plants, and the roles of these chemical emissions in defense, communication and pollinator attracti...

The Ruta graveolens L. (Rutaceae) plant is used medicinally as a homeopathic remedy in various areas of the world. In this study, volatile oils were extracted from the areal parts of the plant which was collected from southern India, then investigated for its chemical constituents and antimicrobial activities. The volatile oils were extracted by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger apparatus and...

Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit. belongs to the Lamiaceae family and is widely used in folk medicine in various countries. Th e essential oils from H. suaveolens have been extensively investigated and are mainly composed of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, although signifi cant diterpene content has been reported in recent studies. Th e survey of the literature concerning H. suaveolens essential oi...

The aim was to investigate the effects of volatile fraction of essential oils from Picea abies, Eucalyptus globulus, Rosmarinus officinalis and volatile fraction of Abies sibirica oil on fungi isolated from apple, leek, carrot, onion. Researches were made in 2008–2009. Tested fungi were as follows: Penicillium roqueforti, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus flavus var. oryzae, Mortierella hyalina v...

Essential oils and their volatile constituents are used widely to prevent and treat human disease. The possible role and mode of action of these natural products is discussed with regard to the prevention and treatment of cancer, cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis and thrombosis, as well as their bioactivity as antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidants and antidiabetic agents. Their...

The composition of the hydrodistilled essential oils from the fruits and leaves of Thuja orientalis L. grown in Iran was analyzed by GC/MS. Nineteen and twenty-eight compounds have been identified in the volatile oils of the fruit and leaf, respectively. While the fruit oil contained alpha-pinene (52.4%), delta-3-carene (14.2%), alpha-cedrol (6.5%) and beta-phellandrene (5.1%), the leaf oil con...

Sádecká J. (2010): Influence of two sterilisation ways, gamma-irradiation and heat treatment, on the volatiles of black pepper (Piper nigrum L.). Czech J. Food Sci., 28: 44–52. The objective of this study was to investigate and compare the effects of ionising irradiation with different doses of gamma-rays (5 kGy, 10 kGy, and 30 kGy) versus the effect of heat sterilisation (dry steam, 130°C, 3 m...

An overview of the studies carried out in our laboratories on supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of volatile oils from seven aromatic plants: pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium L.), fennel seeds (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.), coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), savory (Satureja fruticosa Béguinot), winter savory (Satureja montana L.), cotton lavender (Santolina chamaecyparisus) and thyme (Thymus vulgari...