Chemical composition, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities of rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus Spenn.) essential oils from Argentina

Abstract

This work aimed to study the chemical variability of rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus Spenn.) essential oils from the Argentinean provinces of Mendoza and San Luis, and to compare them with commercially available oils. Additionally, this study aimed to assess the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the essential oils being examined. One of the essential oils from Mendoza (M23) and San Luis provinces belonged to myrcene, 1,8-cineole, and camphor chemotype. In contrast, the M24, M25, and M26 samples from Mendoza were found to belong to a chemotype characterized by high levels of 1,8-cineole, camphor, and α-pinene, also observed in both commercial oils. The antioxidant properties of essential oils were evaluated using three standardized methods: ABTS, FRAP, and DPPH. The results revealed that all essential oils exhibited lower levels of antioxidant activity when compared to established standards. The oils were also tested against 15 strains of Gram-positive and Gramnegative bacteria using the disk diffusion method. The oils from Argentina were active against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Paenibacillus larvae, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas savastanoi pv glycinea B076, and Pseudomonas syringae pv syringae 728, with inhibition zones ranging from 0.75 to 1.5 cm. In the future, rosemary essential oil could be used to avoid food deterioration and to control pathogenic microorganisms.