Chemical composition of the essential oil of three Iranian Satureja species (S. mutica, S. macrantha and S. intermedia)

Essential oils from aerial parts of Satureja mutica Fisch. & C. A. Mey., Satureja macrantha C. A. Mey. and Satureja intermedia C. A. Mey. were obtained by hydro-distillation. The oils were analyzed by capillary gas chromatography, using flame ionization and mass spectrometric detection. Forty five components were identified in the oil of S. mutica with carvacrol (30.9%), thymol (26.5%), γ-terpinene (14.9%) and p-cymene (10.3%) as main constituents. Sixty five compounds were identified in the oil of S. macrantha, with p-cymene (25.8%), limonene (16.3%) and thymol (8.1%) as main components. Thirty eight compounds were characterized in the oil of S. intermedia with thymol (32.3%), γ-terpinene (29.3%) and p-cymene (14.7%) as main constituents. The results showed different compositions of the essential oils of these Satureja species. There are some minor components in each oil that are not present in the others.