Abstract
Essential oils (EOs) find application as flavoring agents in the food industry and are also desirable ingredients as they possess preservative properties. The Mediterranean diet involves the use of a lot of herbs and spices and their products (infusions, EOs) as condiments and for the preservation of foods. Application of EOs has the advantage of homogeneous dispersion in comparison with dry leaf use in small pieces or powder. Among them, Laurus nobilis (bay laurel) L. EO is an interesting source of volatiles, such as 1,8-cineole and eugenol, which are known for their preservative properties. Its flavor suits cooked red meat, poultry, and fish, as well as vegetarian dishes, according to Mediterranean recipes. The review is focused on its chemistry, quality control aspects, and recent trends in methods of analysis and activity assessment with a focus on potential antioxidant activity and applications to olive industry products. Findings indicate that this EO is not extensively studied in comparison with those from other Mediterranean plants, such as oregano EO. More work is needed to establish authenticity and activity methods, whereas the interest for using it for the preparation of flavored olive oil or for the aromatization and preservation of table oils must be further encouraged.
Highlights
The Mediterranean diet (MD), which has become part of the intangible UNESCO heritage, is a dietary pattern (a) rich in foods of plant origin (b) moderate to high in the consumption of fish and seafood, and (c) moderate in the intake of eggs, poultry, and dairy products
The present review focuses on the chemistry, quality control, activity assessment, and current applications of bay laurel Essential oils (EOs) to the olive industry products
The findings indicated a variability in the composition (e.g., 1,8-cineole ranged between 34.1 and 63.0%) and activity (2.1 to 8.1 μmol Trolox/mg EO)
Summary
The Mediterranean diet (MD), which has become part of the intangible UNESCO heritage, is a dietary pattern (a) rich in foods of plant origin (cereals, season fruits vegetables, and legumes, tree nuts, seeds, and olives) (b) moderate to high in the consumption of fish and seafood, and (c) moderate in the intake of eggs, poultry, and dairy products (cheese and yogurt). Bay laurel EO’s main constituents are α-pinene, β-pinene, sabinene, α-terpinene and γ-terpinene, eucalyptol (1,8-cineole), linalool, α-terpineol and δ-terpineol, α-terpinyl acetate, eugenol and methyleugenol. Both the total amount (yield) and the composition of the EO derived from different organs of the same plant (stem, leaves, flowers, etc.) seem to differ quantitatively and qualitatively. Other compounds such as thymol, p-cymene, camphene, myrcene, limonene, camphor, spathulenol, α-cadinol, as well as some derivatives or isomers of the compounds presented, have been identified As it can be observed, the concentration range of the individual components of the bay laurel leaf EO is wide even for 1,8-cineole, the characteristic compound of this particular EO. Literature search using “plant common name” OR “plant scientific name” AND “essential oil” AND “composition” in the title, abstract, or keywords, with no time restrictions in the Scopus database (retrieved on 16 January 2022), revealed almost 3 to 6-fold less publications for bay laurel EO in comparison with those for the above-mentioned species (Figure 1)
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