Authors : Abdollah Ghasemi Pirbalouti, Lyle Craker and Seyed Mohammad Alavi-Samani
Abstract: Essential oils and volatile constituents have a wide range of applications in folk medicine, food flavoring and food preservation as well as in food industries. The phytochemical characteristics of hydro-distillation essential oils from different parts of Iranian aromatic, condiment and spice plants belonging to the families Lamiaceae and Apiaceae including Satureja bachtiarica, S. khuzestanica, S. hortensis, Thymus daenensis, T. carmanicus, Ziziphora clinopodioides, Z. teniuor and Mentha longifolia (Lamiaceae), Echinophora cinerea, E. platyloba, Heracleum lasiopetalum, Kelussia odoratissimay, Zaravschanica membranacea, Cuminum cyminum and Ferulago angulata (Apiaceae) were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The antioxidant activity of the essential oils from the herbs was evaluated by DPPH assay. Results indicated that the main constituents of the herbs were monoterpenes in mostly herbs. Other identified chemical components in the essential oils from H. lasiopetalum and K. odoratissima were n-octanol and trans-ligustilide, respectively. The essential oils from the studied herbs had weak-to-good antioxidant activity. Among the herb species screened, the essential oils from S. bachtiarica, S. khuzestanica, S. hortensis, Thymus daenensis and T. carmanicus (Lamiaceae) and C. cyminum (Apiaceae) due to phenolic compounds showed the highest antioxidant activity. Generally, the essential oils from some Iranian herbs can be used as an alternative preservative instead of synthetic ones in food industry. The results of this study reveal that some of species play an important role in primary healthcare system of these tribal communities.
Abdollah Ghasemi Pirbalouti, Lyle Craker and Seyed Mohammad Alavi-Samani, 2018. Phytochemistry and Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oils of Condiment and Spice Plants from South Western, Iran. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 13: 204-207.