Origanum onites L essential oil of antispasmodic activity, chemical composition and the radical scavenging were determined in vitro. GC-MS analysis that was been carried out upon the essential oil revealed 31 different composites which equal to 94.60% in which Carvacrol (49.01%), linalool (13.3%) were found as major components. Free radical scavenging capacities of the essential oil were measured by 2,2-diphenyl-1-pikrilhidrazil (DPPH) assay and via β-carotene linoleic acid experiment were determined. It showed IC50 value of Origanum onites essential oil was been identified as 430 mg/mL, the IC50 value for BHT was 19.8 mg/mL, the β-carotene linoleic acid assay also showed the 80% inhibition with the essential oil of Origanum onites.it showed very strong antioxidant activity. In addition, dose dependently (0.1, 0.5, 1.0 and 2 mg/mL) inhibits the contraction induced by, it was able to inhibit the rat ileum muscle by 2 mg/mL to 100%.

The most common honey bee diseases are American foulbrood (AFB) caused by the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae, Chalkbrood caused by fungus Ascosphaera apis and diseases caused by parasitic mites such as Acarapis woodi, Varroa destructor. These diseases and pests not only cause economic loss but also cause ecological problems related to the role of honey bees, as the most important pollinators on Earth. Synthetic acaricides and antibiotics are used to keep the diseases and mites in control. Use of the drugs lead to the development of drug-resistant organisms, detrimental effect on non-target organisms and the residue problem in bee products. For this reasons, the need for alternative control methods has become compulsory in recent years. It has been known that some plant oils used widely in perfumery and food industry for flavor and smell have been used as repellent to certain insects, bactericide and fungicide. Therefore, intensive studies have been carried out on plants with anti-mites, antibacterial and antifungal potentials and these studies are still going on. Recently, studies in this area have shown that essential oils of plants such as thyme, cloves, mint, lemon grass, cinnamon, grapefruit, rosemary, marigold, are lethal to some mites, bacteria and fungi. In addition, it has been reported that some components, isolated from these plants such as sanguinarine, thymoquinone, capsaicin, carvacrol, citral, eugenol, thymol, show these effects on the organisms. As a result, in countries rich in biodiversity due to endemic plant species, the essential oils used in control of these diseases should be favored instead of or in combination with conventional drugs in integrated the disease management programs because of the lack of harmful effects of essential oils on non-target organisms and environment.

In this work, chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of Galium incanum, Galium dieckii ve Galium aladaghense were firstly reported. The essential oils were obtained from the all parts of the plant by hydrodistillation and analyzed by using GC-MS. Antimicrobial activity of synthezied essential oils was carried out against 5 pathogen bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) ATCC 25923, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (P. syringae) DC300, Salmonella enterica serotype Typhmurium (S. typhmurium) SL 1344 and Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) ATCC 25175. According to the results, it was determined that isolated essential oils comprised of 61 compounds. Compounds of essential oils included that structure monoterpene (8.2%), monoterpenoid (14.75%) and sesquiterpene (14.75%). Unclassified compounds have been identified as other compounds. From the antimicrobial activity was observed that the isolated essential oil from Galium incanum, Galium dieckii ve Galium aladaghense exhibited a potent inhibitory effect against all gram negative and gram positive bacteria with diameter of inhibition zones ranging from 4.3 to 12.3 mm. Essential oil of Galium aladaghense indicated that high antimicrobial activity on all bacteria than Galium incanum and Galium dieckii.

The genus Helichrysum contains many species displaying therapeutical effects and use in folk medicine. Helichrysum pallasii (Spreng.) Ledeb. is one of these species, used in the region for traditional medicine and ornamental purposes. Plants have been used in the treatment in folk medicines since the earliest times of human history. Chemical composition, antimicrobial and other medicinal properties of plants are being investigated in laboratories throughout the world using the extracts and essential oils derived from medicinal plants. Essential oils are usually complex mixtures of natural compounds of both polar and apolar structure. Essential oils consist mainly of terpenoids and their oxygenated derivatives. Essential oils, which have antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, have therapeutic properties and are the raw materials of cosmetics, as well as acting as natural additives in foods and food products. In this study, the volatile components of the H. pallasii plants were investigated which collected from its natural habitat in the Armutlu district of Bayburt province (Turkey) at the time of flowering. The proportion of essential oils of the plant harvested during the full flowering period and the aromatic components in the essential oil of the plant were determined using the SPME (Solid Phase Microextraction) method in a Gas Chromatography (GC-MS) device. Almost 37 different components were found as a result of the analysis. The main components were found as α-Springene (34.89%), (-)-Isoledene (7.11%), δ-Selinene (5.79%) and Aristolene (5.09).

Essential oils (EOs) are known for its antimicrobial activity against several pathogenic bacteria. The present work evaluated the antimicrobial activity of 15 different EOs on survival of different strains of different Staphyloccocus aureus strains isolated from traditional cheeses by disc diffusion method. The most antimicrobial activity on the strains was found as oil thyme oil (mean zone diameter 23.203 mm). Clove oil and black seed oil had the highest antimicrobial activity after thyme oil with average zone diameters of 13.698 mm and 11.267 mm respectively. Hypericum perforatum L. oil (mean zone 6.209 mm), ginger oil (mean zone 6.250 mm) and garlic oil (mean zone 6.267 mm) were the lowest antimicrobial activity. New studies about antimicrobial effect of EOs in vivo conditions are recommended.

Public concern on the excessive use of synthetic food additives has raised a great interest to use natural products due to their potential in food and pharmacological industries. Nowadays, chemical food additives are questioned due to their contribution to the health risks and environmental impacts. Among natural additives, essential oils (EOs) are extracted from aromatic compounds and responsible for their biological activities namely antimicrobial and antioxidant capacity. Incorporation of bio-active compounds particularly EOs directly in food or edible/biodegradable food packaging seems to enhance the shelf life and quality characteristics of processed food and protect the consumers against oxidative and bacterial deterioration effects. However, inclusion of EOs in films/coatings for food packaging may put some effects on various properties (optic, tensile and etc.), which can affect the consumer acceptability. Their addition in food can cause some allergic and hypersensitivity reactions to the individuals who use them often. This paper aims to review the latest findings on the use of EOs incorporated with edible/biodegradable films and coatings to enhance the shelf life and quality of the food. Further investigations about essential oils are expected to clarify their exact action and build up their standard use in food industry.