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Essential oils are volatile mixtures of hydrocarbons with diverse functional groups. In the current study the effect of essential oils from five medicinal plants including Zataria multiflora and Nepeta cataria (Lamiaceae), Tagetes minuta and Artemisia sieberi (Asteraceae), and Trachyspermum ammi (Apiaceae) were analyzed using GC-mass spectrometry. The toxicity of these plant essential oils against the adult stage of the cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae L. (Hemiptera: Aphididae) was studied using a fumigant assay.GC/Mass analysis revealed that the main essential oils varied between species. The most abundant components in N. cataria, Z. multiflora, T. ammi, T. minuta and A. sieberi were 4a-α, 7-β, 7a-α-nepetalactone (76.8%), carvacrol (62.1%), γ-terpinene (27.1%), limonene (13.0%) and artemisia ketone (48.0%) respectively. The fumigant assays showed that all of these essential oils were toxic to B.brassicae in a dose-dependent manner. The essential oils of N. cataria at 126, 63, 31, 16, 8, and 3 μl L^-1 air caused 94, 76, 52, 46, 36, and 24% mortality within 24 hours, respectively. The same trend was seen when essential oils of the other plants were tested against B. brassicae. These plant essential oils have great potential to be used in integrated pest management especially in greenhouses or other closed systems.

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Tetranychus turkestani is one of the most important pests of greenhouse plants in the southern provinces of Iran. Several benefits of using essential oils over chemical pesticides make them appropriate for IPM programs. Contact and fumigant toxicity of the essential oils of Foeniculum vulgare and Citrus limon against the spider mite and its predator, Orius albidipennis were investigated under laboratory conditions. Contact toxicity experiments were conducted at six concentrations, (0, 50, 100, 300, 800 and 2000 ppm) of each essential oil on the mature and immature life stages of the pest, and mortalities were recorded 72 h after exposure. In fumigant toxicity trials, LC₅₀ values of the essential oils were determined on different developmental stages of T. turkestani and O. albidipennis. At 800 and 2000 ppm, both essential oils had high contact toxicity on the eggs, 2^nd instar nymphs and adults of T. turkestani, while the same concentrations caused less mortality on O. albidipennis. No significant phytotoxicity of the essential oils was observed. The mortality rates of T. turkestani and O. albidipennis increased as concentration was increased. Also, the 2^nd instar nymph of T. turkestani was more sensitive to contact application of the essential oils than other developmental stages. In the fumigant toxicity bioassay, LC₅₀ values of the essential oil derived from F. vulgare on the egg, 2^nd instar nymph and adult of T. turkestani were 16.08, 7.98 and 14.06, and the values for C. limon essential oil were 11.6, 9.86 and 11.52 µl × l^-1air, respectively. The highest fumigant toxicity was observed against the 2^nd instar nymphs of the mite. Fumigant toxicity of the essential oils was lower against O. albidipennis than against T. turkestani. This data suggests that the essential oils of these plants have the potential of being employed in the IPM programs of T. turkestani in greenhouse crops, especially cucumber.

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Essential oils of four aromatic plants, Artemisia monosperma Del., Callistemon viminals (Sol.ex Gaertn.) G. Don, Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.) Swingle and Cupressus macrocarpa Hartw. ex Gordon, were evaluated for their anti-nutritional, antifeedant, growth inhibitory and insecticidal activities against Sopdoptera littoralis (Boisduval) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). The essential oils of A. monosperma and C. aurantifolia caused the highest reduction in relative growth rate (RGR) at the tested concentrations (125, 250, 500, 1000 and 2000mg/l). The RGR values ranged between 8.63 and 3.05 mg/day for A. monosperma, and between 10.74 and 2.89 mg/day for C. aurantifolia compared with 14.89 mg/day for control after 72 h of treatment. In general, the results showed that the values of relative growth rate (RGR) decreased with increasing the concentration of the tested oils. In addition, the tested oils significantly reduced efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI) and efficiency of conversion of digested food (ECD) values, particularly at the higher concentrations of 500, 1000 and 2000mg/l. On the other hand, the tested oils showed antifeedant activity against the larvae of S. littoralis with A. monosperma and C. aurantifolia oils being more active than C. viminals and C. macrocarpa oils. The tested oils showed remarkable growth inhibition effect as the growth inhibition index values were increased from 37.63 to 79.80% for A. monosperma, from 21.69 to 52.12% for C. viminals, from 16.55 to 28.59% for C. aurantifolia and from 37.64 to 52.32% for C. macrocarpa when the concentration increased from 125 to 2000mg/l. Based on chitin formation ratio values, the tested essential oils induced reduction in chitin formation. A. monosperma and C. macrocarpa essential oils revealed the highest insecticidal activity on 4^th instar larvae of S. littoralis. Examination of reproductive tracts of adult females emerged from treated larvae indicated that the tested oils caused undifferentiated ovarioles.

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Habrobracon hebetor Say is an idiobiont and gregarious larval ectoparasitoid of many moths. In this study, lethal and sublethal effects of Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Carum carvi and Heracleum persicum essential oils on the demographic parameters of H. hebetor were assessed at 26 ± 2 °C, 60 ± 5% RH, and a photoperiod of 16:8 (L: D) h. Essential oils were obtained from these plants by hydro-distillation method using a Clevenger apparatus. The chemical constituents of essential oils were detected by Gas Chromatography-Mass spectrometry (GC-MS). 250ml Glass vials were used for the fumigant toxicity experiments. In order to assess the sublethal effects, adult wasps were exposed to an LC₂₅ of each essential oil and then the demographic parameters of live parasitoid wasps were studied. Fumigant toxicity with adults indicated that the lethal concentration (LC₅₀) values of the above essential oils against H. hebetor females were 1.116, 0.34 and 3.416μl/l air, respectively. Chemical analysis by GC-MS displayed o-Cymene (15.11%), Carvone (55.8%) and Hexyl butyrate (41.78%) were main constituents of the essential oils of E. camaldulensis, C. carvi and H. persicum, respectively. The results showed that the intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ), net reproductive rate (R₀) and gross reproductive rate (GRR) were significantly affected by the essential oils. The highest and the lowest r values were 0.226 and 0.130 day^-1 in control and C. carvi-treated insects, respectively. According to these results, essential oils have suitable potential for the integrated management of stored product pests.

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The present work was undertaken to compare the insecticidal activity of two Rosmarinus officinalis L. (Lamiaceae) essential oils chemotypes from the Mediterranean region against different life stages of Ectomyelois ceratoniae Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in constant environmental conditions. The essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry technique (GC-MS). α-pinene (29.42%), camphene (24.62%), and camphor (20.95%) were obtained as the majority compounds in the essential oil of R. officinalis from Algeria, as well as the main essential oil compounds of R. officinalis from Spain were α-pinene (25.62%), 1,8-cineole (21.06%) and camphor (18.39%). Ovicidal activity of oils was studied by topical application, while adulticidal and larvicidal activities were assessed by fumigation and ingestion, respectively. R. officinalis from Spain presented the highest toxic activity against eggs (78.33% inhibition), young larvae (LC₅₀ = 3.40 mg/ml) and adults (LC₅₀ = 0.17 mg/ml). On the other hand, R. officinalis from Algeria presented lower egg hatching inhibition with 60% and fewer fumigant and antifeedant activities (LC₅₀ = 0.30 and 4.97mg/ml for adults and young larvae, respectively). The results of this study indicated the efficacy of rosemary essential oil as an alternative to synthetic insecticides in a postharvest treatment program for the control of E. ceratoniae.
 

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Aim: Ethno-botanical knowledge is widespread and important among tribesmen. However, this knowledge is based on experimental findings rather than on a scientific basis. Apart from this, there is a risk that this ethnobotanical knowledge may disappear and be neglected. One of the endemic plants in Iran is Morina persica L., known in ethnoveterinary and ethnobotany. In this study, the chemical compounds of Morina persica L., an endemic ethnoveterinary plant, were investigated for the first time in Iran using GC/MS.
Materials & Methods: The collection of all M.persica aerial parts was conducted during the flowering stage. The extraction of essential oils was performed by a hydro-distillation method using a Clevenger device. Then, the gas chromatography-mass spectrometer device was employed to determine and analyze the essential oils composition. Kovats retention indices (KI=RI) were used to confirm the identification by the mass spectra
 

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In this study, the aerial parts of Pimpinella puberula were collected from Ramhormoz and Mashhad (Khuzestan and Khorasan Provinces) at the vegetative, flowering and seeding stages. Essential oils from the whole aerial parts as well as stem/leaf, inflorescence, unripe and ripe seeds, were isolated by hydro-distillation. The yields of essential oil obtained from the Ramhormoz samples were 0.49%, 0.31%, 3.81%, 6.01% and 1.80% w/w, and from those from Mashhad were 0.96%, 0.87%, 3.59%, 6.94% and 4.96% w/w, respectively. The oils from different parts of plant were also analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Limonene was the major constituent in all the oils (21.7%-82.4%), followed by pregeijerene (14.6%-55.4%) and geijerene (7.2%- 11.7%). Methyl eugenol and elemicine, however were only found in the Ramhormoz oil samples. The antimicrobial activity of the oils was determined using the disk diffusion method against Gram positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Micrococcus luteus and Staphylococcus aureus), Gram negative bacteria (Yersinia entrocolitica, Klebsiella oxytoca, Serratia marcescens, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and yeast (Candida albicans). Results showed a significant difference between Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria in their susceptibility to the oil, although Gram positive bacteria were more susceptible to the antimicrobial activity of P. puberula oil. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of samples collected from Ramhormoz were more than of those from Mashhad.

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Objective: Profound consumption of medicinal plants products worldwide and public misconception of the products safety puts the urgent need forward as to evaluation of their safe and harmful aspects. In the present study the Lavandula angustifolia essential oil was studied with a view to the foregoing criteria. Materials and Methods: The antimicrobial, antioxidative, hematologic and cytotoxic properties of Lavandula angustifolia essential oil were studied. Results: The bacterial strains sensitive to Lavandula angustifolia oil were in the following order: S.aureus> E.coli> K. pneumonia> Streptococcus faecalis> P. aeruginosa. Antioxidative property of the oil was carried out using beta carotene bleaching test and the results were compared with the standard synthetic antioxidants. Lipid peroxidation inhibitions were lower than the synthetic antioxidant BHT and BHA. The oil concentration required for 50% (IC50) free radical scavenging of DPPH was 56 μg/ml with total phenol contents of 85.43 μg GAE/mg for L. angustifolia oil. Ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) in the blood sera of the rats gavaged with a daily dose of 100 µl oil increased by 167.57%. Adverse therapeutic effects were noted as a result of feeding the rats with the essential oil. The volatile oil displayed cytotoxic effects on the human tumor cell line (HeLa cells) and peripheral blood cells with the IC50 of 26 and 21μg/ml respectively. The mutagenic and antimutagenic properties of various concentrations of Lavandula angustifolia oil on TA98 and TA100 strains Salmonella typhimurium in the presence and absence of S9 fraction were determined. Conclusion: The results show that the Lavandula oil used in the present study may not be consumed without dose determination.

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Objective: Despite toxic effects of some essential oils, their use is not under control. With a view to increasing trend of utilisation of herbal products, some biological aspects of Thymus daenensis are repoted here for the first time. Materials and Methods: Antimicrobial properties using disk diffusion and dilution tests, nitric oxide radical scavenging by Marcocci et al method and cytotoxic properties employing dimethylthiazolyl diphenyltetrazolium bromide reduction test were carried out with Thymus daenensis and commercial Thyme essential oils and their main chemical compound, thymol. Results: The microbial sensitivity to the oils were in Candida albicans> E.coli> S.aureus> P. aeruginosa order. The minimum inhibitory and microbicidal concentrations were in the range of 0.04-10mg/ml. Nitric oxide radical scavenging was dose dependent with an IC50 of 5, 75, 863 µg, and total phenolics of 644.07±6.79, 16.94±2.55, 10.33±2.31µg Gallic acid equivalent per mg sample and total flavonoid content of 73.51±1.34, 0.56±0.02, 0.21±0.09 mg Catechin equivalent per gram T.daenensis oil, commercial thyme oil and thymol respectively. The concentrations from T.daenensis oil, commercial thyme oil and thymol required to exert 50% fatal effect (IC50) on healthy human normal lymphocytes and Hela cells were 1455, 12.10, 2867 and 4.95, 3.61, 1730 µg respectively. Conclusion: T. daenensis with its good antimicrobial property can prevent formation of toxic reactive oxygen species and as a good antioxidant, it can directly scavenge NO and O2−. With a view to cancerous cells killing properties of the oils at their lowest concentrations without fatal effect on normal healthy cells, feasibility of their application in combating cancerous cells may be promising.

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Two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), is one of the most injurious pests of fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants worldwide, both outdoor and indoors. Currently the main method of control of this pest is through application of pesticides which is mostly accompanied by the resistance of the pest against pesticide(s). The resurgence of resistant mite populations brings about further contamination of foodstuff and environment. Essential oils obtained from the aerial parts of plants may have the potential to be an alternative to synthetic pesticides, since they have been demonstrated to posses a wide range of bioactivities against insects and mites. So, the aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of essential oils extracted from three different medicinal plants namely: Mentha longifolia, Salvia officialis (both Lamiaceae) and Myrtus communis (Myrtaceae) against T. urticae. The LC50 values of essential oils of M. longifolia, M. communis, and S. officialis against T. urticae were 20.08, 53.22, 60.93 µl L-1 air, respectively. This shows that M. longifolia possesses the highest lethal activity whereas S. officialis the lowest. Also, essential oils of M. longifolia, M. communis, and S. officialis were demonstrated to possess repellency effect with ED50s of 147.47, 138.80 and 164.41, µl L-1 air, respectively. These data suggest that essential oils of all the three plants have the potential to be employed in the pest management programs designed for a control of T. urticae under greenhouse conditions.

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Fruits and vegetables are perishable products due to their high water content and high enzymatic activity, and large amounts of them are deteriorated each year before consumption. Different methods such as the use of heat or chemical preservatives are common to reduce food waste, but increasing consumer demand for fresh or minimal processed foods has led to increased research for finding alternative preservation methods. In this study, the ability of clove, cumin and fennel essential oils (concentrations of 50, 75, 100 and 200 ppm) in reducing peroxidase enzyme activity (as one of the main factors of biochemical deterioration) in apple fruit was investigated. Clove essential oil in pure state and in concentrations of 100 and 75 ppm reduced 66.67% of the peroxidase enzyme activity while concentrations of 200 and 50 ppm of clove essential oil reduced 62.97 and 48.15% of the peroxidase enzyme activity in apple fruit respectively. Cumin essential oil in all applied concentrations led to a 66.67% reduction in peroxidase enzyme activity in apple fruit samples. Also, the use of concentrations of 100, 75 and 50 ppm of fennel essential oil has reduced 62.97% of peroxidase enzyme activity in apple fruit samples, while increasing the fennel essential oil concentration reduces its inhibitory effect on peroxidase enzyme activity so that the application of pure state and concentration of 200 ppm of fennel essential oil reduced 18.52 and 55.56% of peroxidase enzyme activity in apple fruit, respectively. The results of response surface optimization method showed that the lowest peroxidase enzyme activity for clove, cumin and fennel essential oils were obtained in essential oil concentration and enzyme activity time of 200 ppm and 40 seconds for clove essential oil, 146 ppm and 112 seconds for cumin and 130 ppm and 183 seconds for fennel essential oil respectively.

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The drying process plays an important role in the treatment of medicinal plants, in order to maintain the quantity and quality of the essential oil extracted from the plant. Because Medicinal herbs containing essential oils If they are not dried immediately or their essence is not extracted, they will lose their active ingredients and volatile compounds.The aim of this study is design a hybrid dryer to drying medicinal plants and comparison their results with traditional drying methods (sun and shade).The effects of different drying methods (hybrid dryer, oven and shade drying) on the essential oil content and chemical composition of thyme were studied. The essential oils from each organ type were extracted by hydrodistillation and the chemical components were analyzed by GC/MS systems. Mathematical modeling results showed that the Midilli model can fit the drying curves with high accuracy. The highest essential oils yield of 2.4 % (v/w) was obtained by a hybrid dryer. Results indicated that hybrid dryer could keep the 24 Kinds of volatile compounds of Thymus while these values were 10 and 6 for oven and shadow methods, respectively. The main components of the essential oils in different drying methods were including alpha and beta pinene, caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, carotol, thymol, thymol methyl ether, terpinene-4-ol, gama-terpinene, p-cymene.In general, hybrid drying method is recommended as the best method for post-harvest thyme processing.

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In recent years, the use of natural antimicrobial compounds in food has attracted the attention of consumers and researchers, the two main reasons for this is the excessive and incorrect use of antibiotics due to the selective pressure it exerts on microorganisms It creates resistance to antibiotics, thus increasing a group of microorganisms, including pathogens in food, which are not only resistant to antibiotics but also resistant to food processing and storage methods. Increasing public awareness of the potential negative effects of artificial preservatives on human health versus natural additives has led many researchers to focus more on the use of natural preservatives in food. Many compounds obtained from natural sources have antimicrobial properties and can be used to maintain food safety. Today, the use of food preservatives has become a necessity that plays an important role in the storage and transportation of food. The goals of adding preservatives to foods are to preserve the appearance of the food, to help preserve the organoleptic properties, and to increase the shelf life of the food. In this review article, we will examine the antimicrobial activity of some natural compounds obtained from different sources and their mechanism of action.

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The effect of eucalyptus (Eucalyptus Globulus Labill;EGEO) and Angelica (Heracleum Persicum Desf. ex Fischer; HPEO) Essential Oils was assessed at the levels of 0, 3, 30, 300 or 3000 (µl 30 ml^-1) on in vitro fermentation of buffered rumen fluid from 3 castrated male sheep. The fermentation kinetics were estimated after 54 hours incubation. The fermentation kinetic values, In Vitro Gas Production (IVGP), Methane Production (MP), ammonia-N (NH₃-N) concentration, Organic Matter Degradability (IVOMDe), Partitioning Factor (PF), Microbial Mass (MM), Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA) concentrations and protozoa population were evaluated. The results showed that EGEO supplementation at 300µl increased the insoluble fraction (b) (P= 0.027). Cumulative IVGP at 54 hours was the lowest for EGEO (P= 0.014) and HPEO (P= 0.001) at 3,000 µl. The HPEO supplementation at 30 and 3,000 µl decreased (P= 0.036) the constant rate (c) of gas production during incubation 54 hours. The EGEO inclusion improved GP in 24 hours at 3 µl, but inhibited fermentation at 3,000 µl (P = 0.004), whereas addition of HPEO inhibited fermentation at 3,000 µl (P= 0.000) only. The addition of EGEO and HPEO (P= 000) inhibited MP at all levels. HPEO treatments reduced (P= 0.005) the NH₃-N concentration at 3 and 3,000 µl levels. The IVOMDe was increased at dose rates of 3, 30 or 300 µl EGEO, but decreased at 3000 µl of HPEO. At the inclusion of 3,000 µl of EGEO and HPEO, PF, MM and Efficiency of Microbial Mass (EMM) were enhanced (P= 0.001). Apart from the inclusion level of 300 µl, total VFA concentrations were decreased by EGEO (P= 0.002) and HPEO (P= 0.001). The EGEO and HPEO treatments showed antiprotozoal activity. It is suggested that EGEO and HPEO could be added at the level of 300 µl 30 ml^-1 to improve ruminal fermentation (i.e. increasing EMM and decreasing MP and protozoa population), which may lead to better nutrient utilization and animal growth.

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In the first step of this study, Anethum graveolens and Nasturtium officinale essential oils prepared with Clevenger apparatus and then, essential oils ingredients evaluated by GC-Mass. Minimum Inhibitory (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) and antioxidant activity of essential oils were evaluated at concentrations of 350, 400, 500, 600 and 650 mg/L during 60 days. Then, encapsulated essential oils of A. graveolens and N. officinale in the mentioned concentrations by maltodextrin and coacervation methods to evaluate morphology and particle size distribution. Finally, to achieve the optimal concentration of essential oils in order to further preserve the probiotic population of Bifidobacterium lactis, the viability of this bacterium in doogh was evaluated for 21 days. In the second step of the study, the effect of adding essential oils on optimal concentration to the product investigated according to dry matter content, pH, acidity, serum separation rate, rheology and sensory evaluation. The results showed the essential oils have high terpene and phenolic content, which caused proper antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. The viscosity, consistency and acidity of the final product increased on the other hand, pH and serum separation rate decreased significantly. Considering the results of sensory evaluation and lack of any negative effects at optilam concentrations of 400 mg/L and 500 mg/L for A. graveolens and N. officinale essential oils, respectively, the possibility of its industrial application can be examined.

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Nowadays, due to the harmful effects of chemical preservatives in food products and antibiotic resistance too, the efforts of researchers to use natural and safe antimicrobial compounds, including plant essential oils, have increased. In the present study, after collecting the Badrashboo plant from the fields around Urmia city and drying it, extracting the essential oil from the plant was carried out using a Clevenger device, and the antimicrobial effects of this essential oil against some Gram-positive and Gram-negative food-borne pathogenic bacteria were determined by methods: Disk Diffusion Agar (DDA), Well Diffusion Agar (WDA), Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and interaction with four common broad-spectrum antibiotics including Vancomycin, Erythromycin, Chloramphenicol and Gentamicin were performed. The results of the DDA and WDA tests showed that the essential oil of Badreshbo had significant antimicrobial effects on all the tested bacteria in this study. The gram-positive bacteria were more sensitive than the gram-negative bacteria in front of this essential oil. The results of the MIC test of the essential oil for Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella dysentery, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Listeria monostogenes were 2.5, 1.25, 1.25, 0.625, 0.312, 1.25 and 1.25 mg/ml. The MBC of the mentioned strains were 5, 5, 2.5, 5, 2.5, 2.5, and 2.5 mg/mL, respectively. Also, the results of the study of the interaction effect of Badreshbo essential oil with the mentioned antibiotics indicate synergistic effects of the essential oil with all four antibiotics tested. Therefore, considering the significant antimicrobial effects observed for Badrashbo essential oil in this study, it can be used in the food and pharmaceutical industries.