Antibacterial activity and composition of the essential oils of two endemic Salvia sp. from Turkey

Water-distilled essential oils from dried aerial parts of Salvia cryptantha and Salvia heldreichiana (Lamiaceae), endemic in Turkey, were analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS). Camphor (19.1%), 1,8-cineole (16.4%), borneol (11.9%), viridiflorol (11.5%) and bornyl acetate (2.4%) were found to be the major constituents in the oil of S. cryptantha. The major constituents in the oil of S. heldreichiana were linalool (9.4%), a-pinene (5.6%), 1,8-cineole (5.6%), borneol (5.6%), cryptone (5.3%), linalyl acetate (4.9%), a-terpineol (4.4%), camphor (3.9%), terpinen-4-ol (3.3%), trans-linalool oxide (Furanoid) (2.9%), trans-verbenol (2.2%), geranyl acetate (2.2%) and cis-linalool oxide (Furanoid) (2.1%). Essential oil of S. heldreichiana exhibited antimicrobial activity using the disc diffusion method against Escherichia coli, Sarcinia lutea and Salmonella typhimurium. The oil of S. cryptantha inhibited the growth of S. lutea

Hypericum sp.: essential oil composition and biological activities

Phytochemical composition of Hypericum genus has been investigated for many years. In the recent past, studies on the essential oils (EO) of this genus have been progressing and many of them have reported interesting biological activities. Variations in the EO composition of Hypericum species influenced by seasonal variation, geographic distribution, phenological cycle and type of the organ in which EO are produced and/or accumulated have also been reported. Although many reviews attributed to the characterization as well as biological activities of H. perforatum crude extracts have been published, no review has been published on the EO composition and biological activities of Hypericum species until recently (Crockett in Nat Prod Commun 5(9):1493–1506, 2010; Bertoli et al. in Global Sci Books 5:29–47, 2011). In this article, we summarize and update information regarding the composition and biological activities of Hypericum species EO. Based on experimental work carried out in our laboratory we also mention possible biotechnology approaches envisaging EO improvement of some species of the genus.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - project PTDC/AGR AAM/70418/2006, SFRH/BD/ 13283/2003

Composition of the essential oils of Phlomis rigida Labill. and Phlomis samia L.

The essential oils of Phlomis rigida Labill. and P. samia L. (Lamiaceae) obtained from the aerial parts by hydrodistillation were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. P rigida (albino and normal form) oils were found to be rich in beta-caryophyllene (31.2% and 38.7%, respectively) and beta-selinene (13.1% and 15.1%, respectively). P. samia oil contained germacrene D (33.8%) and beta-caryophyllene (6.4%) as major components

Composition of the essential oil of Cachrys alpina bieb.

A hydrodistilled essential oil from fruits of Cachrysalpina,was analyzed by GUMS. Twenty-nine compounds representing 98% of the oil were identified with alpha-humulene (33.1%), p-cymene (9.3%). alpha-phellandrene (9.1%) germacrene D (8.2%) and alpha-pinene (6.3%) as main constituents

Analysis of sugars, organic acids and vitamin C contents of blackberry genotypes from Turkey

The paper reports the composition of some quality characteristics of five blackberry varieties ("C. Thornless", "Bursa 2", "Navaho", "Jumbo" and "Loch Ness"). Main soluble sugar and acid contents of experimental varieties were separated, identified and quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography with photo diode array spectrophotometric and refractive index detection, for organic acids, ascorbic acids and soluble sugars, respectively. According to the results, malic acid was detected as the main organic acid while citric acid was not detected in blackberry fruits. Ascorbic acid content was found very low quantity and also was not detected in all the cultivars. As for the sugars, fructose was found as the most abundant sugar and highly detected in "Navaho". However, the highest total sugar/malic acid ratio was found in cv. C. Thornless. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Essential oil composition of three species of Scutellaria from Turkey

The chemical compositions of the essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of Scutellaria diffusa, Scutellaria heterophylla and Scutellaria salviifolia were separately identified simultaneously by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The main components were determined as hexadecanoic acid (30%) and caryophyllene oxide (9%) in the oil of S. diffusa. Germacrene D (21%), hexadecanoic acid (16%) and beta-caryophyllene (13%) were found as major components in the oil of S. heterophylla. The main components of the oil of S. salviifolia were germacrene D (40%), bicyclogermacrene (14%) and beta-caryophyllene (11%). Overall, individually 63, 68 and 43 constituents were identified in the aerial parts of S. diffusa, S. heterophylla and S. salviifolia essential oils representing 92.1%, 89.9% and 90% of the total, respectively