Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
Abstract
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) is a plant of the family Lamiaceae. The present study aimed to determine the chemical composition of the lemon balm essential oil grown in Northeastern Bulgaria, to perform a comparative analysis of its antimicrobial activity with that of citral, and to determine its surface tension properties. The main compounds of the essential oil (concentration above 3%) were: ß-caryophyllene (20.45%), geranial (19.74%), neral (15.81%), germacrene D (11.50%), (R)-(+)-citronellal (3.07%), and geranyl acetate (3.04%). The antibacterial activity of the essential oil was weak against the tested gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. Exceptions were observed for Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica subsp. Enterica serovar Abony. Citral exhibited higher antimicrobial activity against investigated gram-positive bacteria compared to gram-negative. The surface tension of the essential oil was determined at six different temperatures (6, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 3 °C). The energy presented minimal differences from 124.52 to 125.57 mN/m at different temperatures. Surface heat capacity was between 10492.11 and 11394.17 N/(m.K).
DOI
10.55730/1300-011X.3065
Keywords
Lemon balm, biological activity, essential oil, chemical composition, antibacterial activity, surface tension
First Page
67
Last Page
78
Recommended Citation
ÇELEBİ, Ö, FIDAN, H, ILIEV, I, PETKOVA, N, DINCHEVA, I, GANDOVA, V, STANKOV, S, & STOYANOVA, A (2023). Chemical composition, biological activities, and surface tension properties of Melissa officinalis L. essential oil. Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry 47 (1): 67-78. https://doi.org/10.55730/1300-011X.3065