The Quality of Greek Oregano (O. vulgare L. subsp. hirtum (Link) Ietswaart) and Common Oregano (O. vulgare L. subsp. vulgare) Cultivated in the Temperate Climate of Central Europe

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine the differences between two subspecies: O. vulgare L. subsp. hirtum (Link) Ietswaart (Greek oregano) and O. vulgare L. subsp. vulgare (common oregano) growing in cultivation conditions within temperate climate of Central Europe. The characteristic of the subspecies was undertaken in terms of selected morphological parameters and the quality of the raw material. The herb of both subspecies was evaluated on the content and composition of essential oil by hydrodistillation followed by GC-MS and GC-FID (gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and flame ionization detector), the total content of phenolic acids (according to PP 6th ed.) and the content of rosmarinic acid (by HPLC). The sensory evaluation (QDA) was performed, as well. Greek oregano was distinguished by visibly higher number of glandular trichomes on the leaves (up to 4.85 per 1 mm2) followed by higher content of essential oil in the herb (up to 3.36 g × 100 g−1 DW) in comparison to common oregano. Based on the essential oil composition, Greek oregano was classified as mixed carvacrol/γ-terpinene chemotype, while common oregano as mixed sabinyl/cymyl type rich in sesquiterpenes. Greek oregano was also characterized by higher total content of phenolic acids (up to 6.16 g × 100 g−1 DW) and rosmarinic acid (up to 6787.2 mg × 100 g−1 DW) than common oregano. Essential oil content reached the maximum at the beginning of blooming (common oregano) and at the full blooming stage (Greek oregano). In turn, the amount of phenolic acids followed by rosmarinic acid was the highest at the beginning of seed-setting stage, in the case of both subspecies. The differences between subspecies concerning chemical composition (especially essential oil) were reflected in the sensory attributes, where both odor and taste notes were found at higher level for Greek oregano. Results of our work indicate that Greek oregano is well adapted to grow in the temperate zone conditions. Such adaptation was reflected mainly in the satisfied yield and maintaining characters typical for the Mediterranean plant, e.g., a high essential oil content followed by high carvacrol share, traits the most important from practice viewpoint.

Oregano Essential Oils Promote Rumen Digestive Ability by Modulating Epithelial Development and Microbiota Composition in Beef Cattle

“…Farnesene belongs to the sesquiterpenoid family that has a similar action mechanism with monoterpenes. They are the main component in plants essential oils and have a broad spectrum in antimicrobial activity ( 62 ). It was reported that farnesene play a significant role during oxidative injury of eukaryotic cells ( 63 ).…”

In vitro Inhibitory Action of the Essential Oils of Origanum Vulgare and Rosmarinus Officinalis against Aspergillus Fumigatus

“…Although the most common secondary metabolites ranged between carvacrol and thymol [5], or terpinen-4-ol, thymol and cis-sabinene hydrate [4,33], the last of these was not identified in our sample, and it should be recalled that the chemical composition of a plant species may vary with the geographical origin and the harvest period [5], since environmental factors may influence types and contents of bioactive substances [34,35]. In addition, according to the widely accepted taxonomy, six subspecies of O. vulgare L. have been recognized [36], and the botanical subspecies which we evaluated (O. vulgare L. subsp. hirtum) does not have high levels of this component; indeed, our findings are in accordance with the typical composition of this subspecies (high levels of carvacrol and p-cymene) [37][38][39].…”

Dependence of the Concentration of Bioactive Compounds in Origanum vulgare on Chemical Properties of the Soil

“…Therefore, in the investigated plants, a lower quantity of phenolic compounds was found in our study than in O. vulgare from countries with warmer climates [ 3 , 19 , 34 , 35 ]. This may also be due to the chemotypic features of the studied samples of O. vulgare , since the literature contains numerous data on the existence of several chemotypes differing in composition and amount of phenolic and terpene compounds in the essential oils of oregano [ 36 , 37 , 38 ]. In European populations of oregano, the chemotype of linalool predominates; there is also a cymyl chemotype or sabinyl chemotype that co-occurs with a sesquiterpene-type poor in monoterpenes [ 39 ].…”