Ce grand arbre en forme de parasol, de 6 à 24 mètres de haut, à feuilles persistantes plates et couronnées, est originaire d’Afrique Australe, d’Afrique de l'Est, de Mascareignes et particulièrement de Madagascar. Les racines, le tronc et les fruits produisent une résine dure (le Copal) utilisée comme encens. Les fleurs sont jaunâtres et les fruits sont uniques.

Genotoxic properties of the essential oils extracted from Artemisia dracunculus (tarragon), Ocimum basilicum (basil), Cinnamomum loureirii (cinnamon), Laurus nobilis (laurel), Satureja montana (savory) and Rosmarinus officinallis (rosemary) are studied by Drosophila melanogaster Somatic Mutation and Recombination Test (SMART).

The recent multiplication of food scandals has made food safety a major concern for food producers. More than ever, consumers are asking for products that are microbiologically safe and, in the same time, containing less artificial preservatives. The use of small concentrations of essential oils could bring a solution to this dilemma, as some of those “natural additives” already have proven bacteriostatic properties.

Plant extracts, such as essential oils (Eos), which have long been used in traditional preparations, are currently adopted by the industrial manufactures for modern formulations of consumer products. They are found in perfumery and cosmetology as well as in food and pharmaceutical industries.

Citrus and bananas represent the two economically important fruit crops worldwide. The most important causes of post-harvest losses of these fruits are blue mold caused by Penicillium italicum and green mold caused by Penicillium digitatum for citrus, and anthracnose disease caused by Colletotrichum musea for bananas.

L’objectif de notre travail réside dans l’évaluation de l’activité anti-génotoxique et anti-mutagènes de plusieurs huiles essentielles et de leur action sur la mutagenèse induite par des mutagènes chimiques et nucléaires (Uréthane, Méthyle Methane Sulfonate ‘MMS’, les rayons ultraviolets C ‘UVC’), le 8-méthoxypsoralène ‘8-MOP’ activé UVA).

In the last years, there is an increasing concern regarding the safety and potentially adverse effects of synthetic chemicals used for food preservation or in medicine. Therefore, many research groups were interested to the functional role of natural products especially plant extracts.

L'Origan -Origanum compactum- est une plante médicinale couramment utilisée pour certains traitements thérapeutiques notamment des affections gastriques et cutanées; elle montre aussi un intérêt majeur en tant que produit aromathérapeutique. Dans ce sens; nous nous sommes intéressés à l'évaluation de ses actions antigénotoxique et anticarcinogène contre certains agents mutagènes de référence comme l'éthyle carbamate (Uréthane).

There is a huge concern in the medical field concerning the emergence of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Essential oils are a source of antibacterial compounds that can overcome this problem. Ten essential oils that are commercially available were investigated in the present study: ajowan, basil, German chamomile, Chinese cinnamon, coriander, clove, lemongrass, Spanish lavender, oregano and palmarosa.

Nowadays, the demand for a reduction of chemical pesticides use is growing. In parallel, the development of alternative methods to protect crops from pathogens and pests is also increasing. Essential oil (EO) properties against plant pathogens are well known, and they are recognized as having an interesting potential as alternative plant protection products.

Scientific aromatherapy and integrated medicine are taking an increasingly greater role in the treatment of a number of infectious diseases for which conventional medicine has few effective solutions.  Powerless and faced with treatment failure, some therapists are actively seeking alternative effective active substances to resolve this inadequacy. When prescribed by competent scientists, essential oils that are chemically and chemotypically defined provide real opportunities with encouraging...

In the present study, essential oil of Origanum compactum was analysed and its chemical composition was identified by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Among thirty two assayed constituents, carvacrol (30.53%), thymol (27.50%) and its precursor g-terpinene (18.20%) were found to be the major components.