CZECH JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCES, cilt.25, sa.2, ss.81-89, 2007 (SCI-Expanded)
The present work reports the in vitro antimicrobial activities of the essential oil and methanol extract from Satureja hortensis as well as the content of its essential oil. T he chemical composition of hydrodistilled essential oil of Satureja hortensis was analysed by means of GC-MS. Thirty constituents were identified. The main constituents of the oil were thymol (40.54%), gamma-terpinene (18.56%), carvacrol (13.98%), and p-cymene (8.97). The essential oil of Satureja hortensis exhibited the activity against 25 bacteria, 8 fungi, and a yeast, C. albicans; exerting the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration values (MIC) ranging from 15.62 to 250 mu l/ml. Similarly, methanol extract of the plant also showed antimicrobial activity.