Natural antioxidants are receiving increasing attention in human and animal nutrition because of their association with food quality characteristics and immune responses [1,2]. Among a variety of plants bearing anti-oxidative constituents, the Labiatae family (mint plants) has been attracting the greatest interest [3], with particular attention to products from oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) and...

Commercial Oregano oils with high concentrations of carvacrol have been vigorously promoted as antiviral agents effective against colds and ‘flu, including the pandemic H1N1 virus. However there seems to be no evidence to support these claims. Furthermore, since carvacrol itself is known to be toxic, so-called “carrier oils”, such as olive oil, have been included in formulations to ameliorate t...

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of chitosan coatings, oregano essential oil, and their combination on microbial quality of chicken fillet during 12 days in refrigerator temperature. Methods: Oregano oil was extracted by water distillation and then different concentrations of oregano oil (1% and 2%) were used for film preparation. Microbiological tests were carri...

A healthy, balanced diet is essential for both physical and mental well-being. Such a diet must include an adequate intake of micronutrients, essential fatty acids, amino acids and antioxidants. The monoamine neurotransmitters, serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline, are derived from dietary amino acids and are involved in the modulation of mood, anxiety, cognition, sleep regulation and appetite...

The goal of this study is to evaluate the in vitro effects of rosemary, salvia, oregano and clove oils at volume fractions of 1000, 750, 500, 250, 100, 50, 26, 10 and 5 µL/mL (100, 75, 50, 25, 10, 5, 3, 1 and 0.5%) on the growth of contaminating fungi in salami. The in vitro effect of the oils against fungal growth was indicated by zones of inhibition. Rosemary oil showed an inhibition zone of ...

The aim of this study was to optimise the antimicrobial efficacy of plant essential oils (EOs) for control of Listeria spp. and spoilage bacteria using food model media based on lettuce, meat and milk. The EOs evaluated were lemon balm, marjoram, oregano and thyme and their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined against Enterobacter spp., Listeria spp., Lactobacillus spp., and ...

The addition of sachets or pads containing volatile antimicrobial agents into packages has been the most successful commercial application of antimicrobials to packaging. In this study, the effect of oregano (Origanum onites) essential oil on the extension of shelf life of overwrap packed fresh chicken drumsticks was investigated. Meat exudate absorbent pads were sprayed with 5 mL of oregano es...

Oregano has been shown to possess antioxidant capacity in various in vitro models and has thus been suggested to be potentially beneficial to human health, but studies in humans are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the bioavailability and the effects of Origanum vulgare extract supplementation on serum lipids and lipid peroxidation in healthy nonsmoking men. A four-week double-...

A gas liquid chromatographic analysis of the essential oils from four new Greek Oregano clones revealed that carvacrol was the predominant constituent in all clones, representing extremely high percentages of the oils (from 79.5% in a clone named Athos to 93% in a clone named Olympus). The thymol content ranged from 0.04 to 0.55 percent among the tested clones. Phenols (carvacrol and thymol) an...

Water soluble cranberry-based phytochemical combinations with oregano, rosemary, and Rhodiola rosea were evaluated for total phenolic content, related antioxidant activity and inhibition of diabetes management-related alpha -glucosidase, pancreatic alpha-amylase inhibition, and hypertension-related ACE-I inhibitory activities. Water extracts of oregano had 114.9 mg/g DW of phenolics which was h...