The essential oils of oregano (Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum) and savory (Satureja thymbra) plants were obtained through steam distillation method. The chemical compositions of their essential oils were analyzed via GC-MS technique. Furthermore, their antimicrobial activities were studied by using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. Their chemical composition was found as carvacrol (63.97%), p-cymene (12.63%) and linalool (3.67%) in oregano essential oil as major compounds and also, as carvacrol (42.7%), o-cymene (17.98%), linalool (9.65%), caryophyllene oxide (5.25%) and γ-terpinene (4.22%) in savory essential oil as major compounds. As a result, it can be said that that oregano and savory essential oil may be useful in the medicinal application and food industry as a preservative against harmful microorganisms.

In this study, the cold press oil components and antimicrobial activities of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and anise (Pimpinella anisum) and white mustard (Sinapis alba) and black mustard (Brassica nigra) species seeds, which are widely used by the people for alternative medicine, were determined. F. vulgare, P. anisum, S. alba and B. nigra species seeds were obtained from cultivated areas in central Anatolia in Turkey. The oil was extracted by using a screw press (MP-001 Cold Press, Turkey), and the volatile oil components and fatty acid components in these oils were analysed by GCMS and total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and antioxidant activities by DPPH and FRAP (%) method were determined. Antimicrobial activities of obtained oils were investigated by using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) test by against 18 different species microorganisms. In the GCMS results, F. vulgare and P. anisum oils were found to be the most abundant components which were anethole (89.74%, 88.95%, respectively). According to these results, the plants oils didn't show any antimicrobial activities against tested microorganisms. However especially white and black mustard oils showed strong antioxidant activity when compared with artificial antioxidants.