Laurel, Laurus nobilis L. is an evergreen plant belonging to the Lauraceae family, native to Southern Europe and the Mediterranean area. This is the first report on the composition and bioactivity of laurel essential oil (EO) from Bulgaria. The oil yield was 0.78%, 0.80%, and 3.25% in the fruits, twigs, and leaves, respectively. The main constituents in the fruit EO were 1,8-cineole (33.3%), α-terpinyl acetate (10.3%), α-pinene (11.0%), β-elemene (7.5%), sabinene (6.3%), β-phellandrene (5.2%), bornyl acetate (4.4%), and camphene (4.3%); those in the twig EO were 1,8-cineole (48.5%), α-terpinyl acetate (13.1%), methyl eugenol (6.6%), β-linalool (3.8%), β-pinene (3.4%), sabinene (3.3%) and terpinene-4-ol (3.3%); and the ones in the leaf EO were 1,8-cineole (41.0%), α-terpinyl acetate (14.4%), sabinene (8.8%), methyl eugenole (6.0%), β-linalool (4.9%), and α-terpineol (3.1%). The antibacterial and antifungal properties of laurel EOs were examined according to the agar well diffusion method. The leaf EO showed antibacterial and antifungal activities against almost all strains of the microorganisms tested, whereas the twig EO was only able to inhibit Staphylococcus aureus. Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027 and Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 were the bacterial strains that showed the highest resistance to the laurel EO. The results can benefit the EO industry and biopesticide development.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possibilities for using date fruit from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the formulation of a novel snack bar while replacing the used honey with date paste. The technological, textural, microbiological and sensory qualities of the obtained food products were evaluated during storage for 12 days after their production. Date palm fruit in the form of date paste was used as an ingredient in the composition of the new snack bars that also included nuts and dried fruits. Five formulations were prepared: a control bar, snack bar with 40% date paste, snack bar with 50% date paste, snack bar with 60% date paste, and snack bar with 70% dates paste. The resulting date paste’s textural characteristics supported the bonding potential of the food system and gave a sweet taste to the final product. The formulations containing 50% date paste presented the highest overall acceptability and were the formulation with the best sensory characteristics. Thus, the addition of date paste in snack bars would be a good option to develop a functional product that contributes to rational nutrition principles. The obtained values in the current study confirmed the technological and functional potential of date fruit as a product that can find adequate application in the composition of foods with functional properties.

Carvacrol is a major component of many essential oils of the genusThymus, Satureja,andOriganum, determining their antimicrobial, antioxidant, and other properties. The aim of the present study was to investigate some physicochemical and biological properties of pure carvacrol. The surface tension and density were measured at six different temperatures (30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80°C). The surface tension values were between 53.11 and 60.38 mN/m, while density varied from 0.978 to 0.99 kg/m³. The antibacterial activity against seven pathogenic and conditionally pathogenic bacteria was investigated. The diameter of the inhibition zones was determined in the range of 3.9–4.9 mm. The antioxidant activity was determined by the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (1687.0 µmol TE/mL) method.

This study aimed to identify the chemical composition (ash, cellulose, total chlorophylls, carotenoid, and essential oil (EO) content), antioxidant activity, and mineral composition of the lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L) obtained from Bulgaria. The chemical composition of the EO was analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The major constituents of the EO were caryophyllene oxide (33.99%), n-hexadecanoic acid (14.28%), α-citral (6.62%), (5E,9E)-farnesyl acetone (5.00%), β-caryophyllene (4.82%), (2E,6Z)-farnesal (4.56%), (5E,9Z)-farnesyl acetone (4.16%), β-citral (3.98%), and γ-eudesmol (3.13%). The antioxidant potential was assessed using DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrilhydrazyl) free radical, ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP), TEAC assay, determination of hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity and determination of superoxide scavenging capacity methods. The total phenol content was analyzed using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. The total flavonoid amount of the extracts was determined by optimizing the aluminum chloride colorimetric method. The total phenolic content, the total flavonoid composition, and the antioxidant potential of the lemon balm leaves included 184.33 mg GAE g-1, 12.65 mg QE g-1, and 62.83 μg ml-1, respectively. Mineral and heavy metal contents were determined by the iCAP-Qc ICP-MS spectrometer. The highest amounts of macro and microminerals were determined for K, Ca, Mg, Sr, Rb, Ba, Mn, and Fe, respectively.