Abstract
In the present study, the yield, the chemical composition, and the antioxidant activities of the essential oils (EOs) of eight medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) cultivated under two environmental conditions characterized by a different altitude (namely mountainous and plain) were evaluated. Cultivation at different environmental conditions resulted in significant differences in the chemical composition and antioxidant activity for most of the studied species. In particular, high altitudes resulted in increased phenolic compounds’ content and antioxidant activity for artemisia plants, while specific parameters increased in the case of spearmint (total phenols) and rosemary (flavonoids). In contrast, in pelargonium, all the tested parameters were positively affected in the plain area, whereas, for laurel and sage, only flavanols remained unaffected. EO yield in mountainous pelargonium and spearmint decreased while, in mountainous laurel, pelargonium and spearmint increased when compared to plain areas. In addition, the major EO constituents’ content for most of the species were affected by environmental conditions. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were variably correlated with total phenols, flavonoids, and flavanols, depending on the species and the altitude. Lastly, in limited cases, antioxidant activity (DPPH or FRAP values) was positively correlated with some EO components (e.g., borneol and β-pinene in artemisia and laurel plants grown in the plain, respectively, or 1,8-cineole in mountainous grown verbena plants). In conclusion, environmental conditions (altitude) affected antioxidants’ content and EO yield and composition of the studied MAPs. These findings can be used to introduce cultivation of MAPs in specific ecosystems for the production of high added value products.
Highlights
Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs), known as herbs or spices, and their relevant plant extracts and essential oils (EOs) have been highly appreciated and widely used for centuries despite the lack of scientific evidence for their actual bioactive mechanisms and functions, which are still under investigation [1,2,3]
We tried to determine whether the content of phenolic compounds and the antioxidant activity of eight MAP species were affected by the altitude as previously reported [48,66]
We examined the levels of total phenolics, flavonoids, and flavanols content and antioxidant activity of eight MAP species, as affected by the environmental condition-altitude and their interconnection with the essential oil yield and composition
Summary
Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs), known as herbs or spices, and their relevant plant extracts and essential oils (EOs) have been highly appreciated and widely used for centuries despite the lack of scientific evidence for their actual bioactive mechanisms and functions, which are still under investigation [1,2,3]. Agronomy 2020, 10, 727 the trade of MAPs as raw material, which is approximately 440,000 tons per year at a total value of. Food products rich in antioxidants are well appreciated since they can act as scavengers of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and help decrease the impact of age-related chronic diseases [6]. MAPs have been the focus of scientific research and the food and pharmaceutical industry due to their well acknowledged antioxidant capacity [3,7]. A diverse range of secondary metabolites such as phenolic compounds are biosynthesized by plants as part of their protection mechanism toward oxidative damage by ROS and abiotic and biotic stressors, while these compounds may have protective effects on humans when MAP and/or their components are ingested through diet [8]
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