Essential Oil Quality of Lavender Grown Outside Its Native Distribution Range: A Study from Serbia
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Date
2023-07-15
Authors
Kiprovski, Biljana
Zeremski, Tijana
Varga, Ana 
Čabarkapa, Ivana
Filipović, Jelena
Lončar, Biljana
Aćimović, Milica
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Horticulturae
Abstract
The aim of this study was to test the quality (physicochemical and sensory odor properties)
and bioactivity (antimicrobial and antioxidant activities) of the essential oils (EO) obtained from
the most frequently cultivated lavender and lavandin varieties in Serbia, whose cultivation areas
were previously reserved for warmer climates, outside the agroecological region of Serbia. Seven
EO from true lavenders (L. angustifolia Mill. and cultivars: ‘Hidcote blue’, ‘Munstead’, ‘Primorska’),
Croatian indigenous lavandin cultivar (L. × intermedia ‘Budrovka’), lavandin ‘Grosso’ and one un determined lavender sample (Lavandula sp.) showed compliance with standard requirements for
lavender EO composition (contents of linalool 23.9–30.2% and 28.9–36.9%, and of linalyl acetate
22.2–32.2% and 6.9–20.7% in true lavender and lavandin samples, respectively). All EO were charac terized as pleasant, with a floral aroma as a prominent odor. Samples exhibited high antimicrobial
activities (3.5–14.2 µL mL−1 MIC and MBC values) against important Gram-positive (B. cereus and
L. monocytogenes) and Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli) and yeasts (C. albicans), and high antioxidant
capacity (IC50 values of 0.23–0.59 µg AAE mL−1 EO). This preliminary research on the quality of
lavender EOs reveals the potential of this species for the future of medicinal and aromatic plant
species production and further diversification of agriculture in the area.
Description
Results on the physicochemical properties and biological activities obtained in this
study confirm that the quality of true lavender, lavandin, as well as their cultivars, have not
been affected by growing conditions in Central and Northern Serbia (Vojvodina Province).
Tested EOs, especially true lavender samples, showed compliance with standard require ments for EO composition and exhibited high antimicrobial activities against important
Gram-positive and negative bacteria and yeasts, as well as a high antioxidant capacity.
Further research on the optimization of agrotechnology for lavender growing could im prove the stability of the yield of this species. Nevertheless, this preliminary research on
the quality of EOs from lavenders grown in Serbia reveals the potential of this species for
the future of medicinal and aromatic plant species production and further diversification
of agriculture in the area. The cultivation of lavenders would be an innovative approach
to further scale-up the revenue of small farmers and primary producers in the period of
climate change
Keywords
antimicrobials, antioxidants, aroma, GC-MS, essential oil, lavender, lavandin, Lavandula cultivars, sensory odor evaluation