Chemical composition of the essential oil of three Iranian Satureja species (S-mutica, S-macrantha and S-intermedia)

Essential oils from aerial parts of Satureja mutica Fisch. & C. A. Mey., Satureja macrantha C. A. Mey. and Satureja intermedia C. A. Mey. were obtained by hydro-distillation. The oils were analyzed by capillary gas chromatography, using flame ionization and mass spectrometric detection. Forty five components were identified in the oil of S. mutica with carvacrol (30.9%), thymol (26.5%), gamma-terpinene (14.9%) and p-cymene (10.3%) as main constituents. Sixty five compounds were identified in the oil of S. macrantha, with p-cymene (25.8%), limonene (16.3%) and thymol (8.1%) as main components. Thirty eight compounds were characterized in the oil of S. intermedia with thymol (32.3%), gamma-terpinene (29.3%) and p-cymene (14.7%) as main constituents. The results showed different compositions of the essential oils of these Satureja species. There are some minor components in each oil that are not present in the others. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.