Grażyna Zawiślak

Research on the qualitative and quantitative composition of essential oil was conducted in south-eastern Poland. The aim of the study was to evaluate the chemical composition of essential oil from Satureja montana L. depending on the plant’s developmental stage. Seedlings of winter savory were planted in the field at a spacing of 30 × 30 cm. The herb was collected on the following dates: June (vegetative stage of the plant), mid-July (onset of flowering), mid-August (full flowering), and September (senescence). The highest essential oil content was found in plants at full flowering (1.88–2.20%) and at the beginning of flowering (1.63–2.20%). The oil from S. montana contained high levels of phenolic compounds, mainly carvacrol and thymol. The highest levels of carvacrol were found at the beginning of flowering (60.97–72.03%) and at full flowering (62.36–73.54%). The highest thymol content was found in 2018 – 19.47% – in the herb collected from plants that had finished flowering and 14.90% – in the herb from plants collected during the vegetative phase.

Hortiterapia jest coraz częściej stosowną metodą w celu poprawy stanu zdrowia i samopoczucia człowieka. Prowadzona jest m.in. w ogrodach, szklarniach lub pomieszczeniach przeznaczonych do terapii. Bazuje na wielu roślinach ogrodniczych, jednak szczególne miejsce zajmują rośliny zielarskie z rodziny Lamiaceae (bazylia pospolita, cząber ogrodowy, cząber górski, kocimiętka właściwa, lawenda lekarska, lebiodka pospolita, macierzanka piaskowa, majeranek ogrodowy, melisa lekarska, mięta pieprzowa, rozmaryn lekarski, szałwia lekarska, tymianek pospolity) i Apiaceae (pietruszka zwyczajna, lubczyk ogrodowy, kminek lekarski) ze względu na przyjemny aromat. Zapachy, za które odpowiadają olejki eteryczne gromadzone w roślinie, wpływają na odbiorców hortiterapii orzeźwiająco (mięta), wyciszająco (melisa, lawenda), a niekiedy łagodzą wiele dolegliwości (tymianek). Rośliny zielarskie wydzielające olejki eteryczne i ich surowce są często wprowadzane przez terapeutów do usprawnienia motoryki małej z uwagi na relaksujące ich odziaływanie. Uczestnicy zajęć, wyczuwając przyjemne wonie roślin, chętniej biorą w nich udział, co przekłada się na lepsze efekty terapeutyczne.

Basil ( Ocimum basilicum L.) is one of the most popular herbal plants used globally in the food and pharmaceutical industries and as an ornamental plant. It is highly valued for the rich content of active substances, whose amount depends on environmental and anthropogenic factors. The type of...

Sea buckthorn is becoming an increasingly popular medicinal plant. This plant material contains many nutrients and bioactive substances used in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. Compounds found in the organs of this plant have antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties,...

The cultivation of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) is necessary for pharmaceutical and cosmetic production. The aim of our work was to investigate the effect of the plant density as well as the harvesting method on the yield and quality characteristics of M. officinalis, which is used as a source of polyphenols and essential oil in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries. The field experiment was carried out in two growing seasons (2019 and 2020). The experiment was set up as a 2-factor experiment; the factors studied were the plant spacing (30 × 30 cm or 40 × 40 cm) and the harvesting method (single harvesting or double harvesting). The lemon balm herb was cut twice (in mid-July and early September) or once (in early September) depending on the combination. The air-dried leaves were subjected to laboratory tests to determine the essential oil, total tannin, and total flavonoid contents. The yield of lemon balm in the individual years in the study depended more on the harvesting method than on the plant density. The essential oil content was 0.25–0.38% depending on the plant density. Considering the yields of the fresh and air-dried herb and leaves, essential oil yield and oil, and tannin and flavonoid contents, a higher plant density (40 × 40 cm) is a better agronomic option than a lower density (30 × 30 cm). Harvesting the herb twice proved to be more efficient in terms of quantity and quality than a single harvest.

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of four different essential oils on the sensitivity of allergenic fungi i.e. Alternaria alternata, Botrytis cinerea and Cladosporium cladosporioides. The studied fungi were isolated from infected fennel. The tested oils were added to Potato Dextrose Agar medium at the concentrations of 0.1 mg/mL, 0.25 mg/mL and 0.5 mg/mL. The activity of the oils on the inhibition of the linear growth of mycelium was evaluated by measuring of fungal colonies, while the fungistatic activity was evaluated on the basis of the percentage growth inhibition of fungal colony and calculated according to Abbot’s formula. The sensitivity of the tested isolates of fungi was variable and depended on the type and concentration of the studied essential oils. The most effective antifungal effect on all tested fungi was in essential oil of oregano even at the concentration of 0.1 mg/mL, while the weakest effect was in essential oil of grapefruit at all studied concentrations. Moreover, oregano essential oil caused degradation and decay of mycelium and spores. Essential oils are potential and promising antifungal agents used as bio fungicides in plant protection and indoor air disinfection. Therefore, further in vivo studies should be carried out.

The research aimed to present the possibility of cultivating selected plants of the genus Ocimum in central-eastern Poland and to assess the chemical composition of the obtained raw material, considering the development stage of the plant. The research object consisted of six selected plants from the genus Ocimum: Ocimum basilicum, Ocimum basilicum var. purpurescens, Ocimum basilicum × citrodorum, Ocimum basilicum ‘Cinnamon’, Ocimum basilicum ‘Siam Queen’, Ocimum basilicum var. minimum ‘Minette’. The herb was harvested on the following dates: mid-June (vegetative stage), mid-July (beginning of flowering), late July/early August (full flowering), end of August (late flowering). The research showed that plants of genus Ocimum sp. can be successfully introduced to cultivation in central-eastern Poland. The yield of these plants was at a high level (average yield of fresh herb—1.15 kg m⁻² and average marketable yield—0.14 kg m⁻²). Plants of genus Ocimum sp. accumulated the least essential oil, flavonoids, and tannins in the vegetative stage (mean: essential oil—0.86%, flavonoids—0.60%, tannins—0.41%). The highest content of all tested secondary metabolites was found in the variety O. basilicum var. minimum “Minette”. The variability of the content of the analyzed compounds depending on the growth and flowering stage of the plants under study is diversified. For this reason, the date of harvesting raw materials from these plants should be selected individually to obtain a high-quality product.

In recent years, scientists have focused on research to replace petroleum-based components plastics, in an eco-friendly and cost-effective manner, with plant-derived biopolymers offering suitable mechanical properties. Moreover, due to high environmental pollution, global warming, and the foreseen shortage of oil supplies, the quest for the formulation of biobased, non-toxic, biocompatible, and biodegradable polymer films is still emerging. Several biopolymers from varied natural resources such as starch, cellulose, gums, agar, milk, cereal, and legume proteins have been used as eco-friendly packaging materials for the substitute of non-biodegradable petroleum-based plastic-based packaging materials. Among all biopolymers, starch is an edible carbohydrate complex, composed of a linear polymer, amylose, and amylopectin. They have usually been considered as a favorite choice of material for food packaging applications due to their excellent forming ability, low cost, and environmental compatibility. Although the film prepared from bio-polymer materials improves the shelf life of commodities by protecting them against interior and exterior factors, suitable barrier properties are impossible to attain with single polymeric packaging material. Therefore, the properties of edible films can be modified based on the hydrophobic–hydrophilic qualities of biomolecules. Certain chemical modifications of starch have been performed; however, the chemical residues may impart toxicity in the food commodity. Therefore, in such cases, several plant-derived polymeric combinations could be used as an effective binary blend of the polymer to improve the mechanical and barrier properties of packaging film. Recently, scientists have shown their great interest in underutilized plant-derived mucilage to synthesize biodegradable packaging material with desirable properties. Mucilage has a great potential to produce a stable polymeric network that confines starch granules that delay the release of amylose, improving the mechanical property of films. Therefore, the proposed review article is emphasized on the utilization of a blend of source and plant-derived mucilage for the synthesis of biodegradable packaging film. Herein, the synthesis process, characterization, mechanical properties, functional properties, and application of starch and mucilage-based film are discussed in detail.

Suszenie surowców zielarskich jest podstawowym sposobem ich utrwalania, a wydajność tego procesu określa się współczynnikiem usychalności. Celem pracy było zebranie i wstępne przeanalizowanie współczynników usychalności zamieszczonych w publikacjach z zakresu zielarstwa, by stanowiło to impuls do dalszych badań w tym zakresie. Podawana usychalność surowców zielarskich często się różni, co może wynikać z różnic charakterystyki porównywanych surowców przed suszeniem i po suszeniu (kwiaty–kwiatostany, okorowany–nieokorowany, otarty lub nieotarty, z nasionami lub bez nasion), różnice te mogą wynikać również z niejednakowego stopnia dosuszenia surowca oraz miejsca jego pozyskania. Usychalność surowców ma duże znaczenie dla praktyki zielarskiej, ponieważ umożliwia określenie zapotrzebowania na surowiec zielarski i racjonalną gospodarkę ograniczonymi i cennymi zasobami roślin, szczególnie tych pozyskiwanych ze stanu naturalnego. Wydajność procesu suszenia, pomimo że w dużej mierze zależy od suchej masy surowca, jest również modyfikowana przez inne czynniki, np. sposób przygotowania surowca czy metodę suszenia, a wyjaśnienie tych zależności ma znaczenie zarówno dla praktyki, jak i nauki zielarskiej.