Hydrodistilled volatile oils obtained from the fruits of Cuminum cyminum L. and Ammodaucus leucotrichus L., cultivated in Morocco, were analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MS. Twenty-one compounds repre- senting 98.7 % of the oil were identified for the C. cyminum L. species. The main components of the oil were: γ- terpinen-7-al (37.2 %), cuminaldehyde (29.1 %), γ-terpinene (10.0 %), β-pinene (7.1 %) and p-cymene (6.1 %). For the Ammodaucus leucotrichus L. species, there were 21 identified compounds, representing 98.4 % of the total oil. The major constituents were perrilla aldehyde (78.2 %) and limonene (9.5 %). Isolated essential oils were tested for radical-scavenging ability using the stable DPPH radical and the ABTS radical, for reducing power ability with a test based on the reduction of ferric cations, and for lipid peroxidation inhibitory ability using β- carotene bleaching assay. The two oils showed a particularly interesting profile concerning oxidation of the fatty unsaturated substances. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oils was individually evaluated against representatives of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria using the agar diffusion method. The most sensi- tive microorganisms are: Enterococcus faecalis, Salmonella sp, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus epidermis, Citrobacter freundii and Escherichia coli.