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Background: Satureja is a genus belonging to the aromatic plants of Lamiaceae family. The genus Satureja L. (Lamiaceae) comprises more than 30 species of aromatic herbs and shrubs, widely distributed over the Mediterranean region. The genus is represented by 14 species in Iran of which, eight are endemic. Many species of the genus Satureja are reported to have aromatic and medicinal properties. The leaves, flowers, and stems of this plant are used as herbal tea and in treatment of various ailments in traditional medicine. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of essential oil (EO) of Satureja hortensis (Lamiaceae) that grows in Sabalan Mountain (Ardebil province, Iran). Materials and Methods: This EO was tested in vitro against two bacterial species by disk and agar well diffusion methods and against four bacterial species and three Candida strains by broth microdilution method. Total phenol, flavonoid, and free radical scavenging activity of EO were evaluated. Results: Total phenolic content was determined by using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent (32.65 mg/g), which was presented as gallic acid equivalent in 1 g of sample. IC50 of EO and ascorbic acid in DPPH method were respectively 277.9 and 19.34 µg. Minimum inhibitory concentration of the EO of S. hortensis against Salmonella typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus cereus was respectively 2.5%, 2.5%, 5%, and 2.5%. The inhibition zone of EO in disk and agar well diffusion method showed that inhibitory zone on B. cereus was higher than that on S. typhimurium in both methods and B. cereus was more sensitive to EO. MIC to minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC) ratio of S. hortensis EO against Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, and Candida krusei in broth microdilution method were respectively 0.048%:0.048%, 0.024%:0.024%, and 0.012%:0.012%. Conclusions: The data of the study clearly indicated that the EO of S. hortensis has a strong antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal activity.

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Background and Objective: Phytochemical and antimicrobial properties of Thymus vulgaris and Cuminum Cyminum essential oils (Eos) against foodborne pathogens and Candida species in vitro were assessment. Methods: The EOs was extracted using a Clevenger apparatus. Analysis of the EO constituents was performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrophotometry. The antibacterial activity of EOs against Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium were evaluated in agar culture medium. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of these EOs against fungal strains of Candida albicans, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis and C. dubliniensis was measured. Results: Thymol (64.45%) and cuminaldehyde (29.02%) were the main components of the Thymus vulgaris and Cuminum Cyminum EOs, respectively. The largest inhibition zone diameter in the Thymus vulgaris and Cuminum Cyminum Eos in the agar disk diffusion method was related to B.cereus with 30 and 21 mm diameter, respectively. The largest growth inhibition zone diameter by the Thymus vulgaris EO in the well diffusion method was 21 mm and against B.cereus. The MIC of Thymus vulgaris EO in the microdilution method was 0.09% against all the four Candida strains. The MIC of Cuminum Cyminum EO against strains of C. albicans and C. tropicalis was 0.39%, while it was found as 0.19% against C. parapsilosis and C. dubliniensis. Conclusion: In this study, Cuminum Cyminum and Thymus vulgaris Eos show suitable inhibitory effects against the growth of pathogenic bacteria and Candida species. This study has raised the possibility of using these EOs as an alternatives chemical preservative in the foods.