Composition of the essential oils of Turkish Origanum species with commercial importance

Abstract

In Turkey Origanum is represented by 23 species comprising 31 taxa. Commercially important Origanum species include O. onites, O. majorana, O. minutiflorum, O. vulgare and O. syriacum. These species are annually exported in quantities exceeding 4,000 tons. GC and GC/MS profiles of the essential oils of the above mentioned Origanum species are presented in a comparative manner. Oils from O. vulgare subsp. hirtum were found to contain carvacrol (23.4–78.7%) and thymol (0.01–39.8%), while O. syriacum var. bevanii contained carvacrol (42.5%) and thymol (24.8%). Oils from O. majorana and O. minutiflorum appeared to be more stable in carvacrol, containing 78.3–79.5% and 75.1–83.6% respectively. Two chemotypes of O. onites were found: a carvacrol-type (carvacrol (66.5–80.4%)) and a linalool-type (linalool (90.0–91.9%))