V. Lagouri et al., COMPOSITION AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF ESSENTIAL OILS FROM OREGANO PLANTS GROWN WILD IN GREECE, Zeitschrift fur Lebensmittel-Untersuchung und -Forschung, 197(1), 1993, pp. 20-23
In this study, four samples of essential oils obtained from plant spec
ies with a wide distribution in Greece and economic importance for the
world-wide spice market and also carvacrol and thymol were tested for
their possible antioxidant activity. The four plant species were Orig
anum vulgare subsp. hirtum, O. onites, Coridothymus capitatus and Satu
reja thymbra. The essential oils were chemically characterised by gas
chromatographyion trap detection. All the essential oils examined and
also carvacrol and thymol were found to have antioxidant activity when
tested on TLC plates and by measuring peroxide values of lard stored
at 35-degrees-C. The results indicate that the antioxidant effect may
be related to, the presence of carvacrol and thymol in essential oils.