European pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) from Portugal: Chemical composition of essential oil and antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of extracts and essential oil

Bárbara Teixeira, António Marques, Cristina Ramos, Irineu Batista, Carmo Serrano, Olívia Matos, Nuno R. Neng, José M.F. Nogueira, Jorge Alexandre Saraiva, Maria Leonor Nunes

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

179 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

There is a growing interest of industry to replace synthetic chemicals by natural products with bioactive properties from plant origin. The aim of this study was to determine the chemical composition of European pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) essential oil and to characterize the in vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of its water (hot and cold) and ethanolic extracts and of the essential oil. The essential oil revealed menthone, pulegone and neo-menthol as the main constituents, comprising 35.9, 23.2 and 9.2% of the essential oil, respectively. The hot water extract exhibited the highest antioxidant activity and phenol content. In contrast, the extracts were not very effective to inhibit the growth of the seven foodborne spoilage and pathogenic bacteria tested, but the essential oil showed antibacterial activity against all bacterial strains. In conclusion, extracts and essential oil of M. pulegium from Mediterranean origin have huge potential as an alternative to chemical additives for the food industry.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)81-87
Number of pages7
JournalIndustrial Crops and Products
Volume36
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2012
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Antimicrobial activity
  • Antioxidant activity
  • Essential oil
  • Ethanol and aqueous extract
  • European pennyroyal
  • Mentha pulegium

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