Phytochemical and biological studies on volatiles and essential oils from plants of agri-food, ecological and ornamental interest

Plants are a rich source of valuable, cost effective and easily available natural products. Essential Oils (EOs) in particular are commercially important for many industrial applications, especially in pharmaceutical, agronomic, food, cosmetic and perfume industries. For their antiseptic, antimicrobial, analgesic, sedative, anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic properties, their pharmaceutical and food uses are widespread as alternatives to synthetic chemical products to protect the ecological equilibrium of environment and to decrease the utilization of synthetic drugs as antibiotics. The object of this PhD project was the extraction and evaluation of many Essential Oils (EOs) and volatile compounds extracted from various plant species, with the aim to contribute to their chemical characterization especially for plants never studied before, or to exploit their industrial and biological use. During the project were characterized the chemical compositions of essential oils and volatiles of Rhus coriaria, Anthemis maritima, Lavandula spp., Rosmarinus spp., Helichrysum spp., Citrus spp., Cinnamomum zeylanicum, and Salvia spp.. Statistical analysis were performed on the results obtained and then some biological tests were performed to find new applications for the essential oils.