Grinding of Serbian peppermint ('Mentha' × 'piperita L.') leaves: Variations regarding yield, composition and antimicrobial activity of isolated essential oil

Abstract

This paper aimed to estimate the influence of peppermint (Mentha × piperita L.) leaves grinding on the essential oil (PEO) yield, composition, antibacterial and antifungal activities. Besides positively affecting the yield, grinding provided PEO with 44 compounds, compared to 33 compounds isolated from non-ground leaves. The most abundant compounds in both PEOs were menthol and menthone. PEO isolated from the ground leaves expressed higher antibacterial and antifungal activities , with S. aureus and C. albicans being the most susceptible microorganisms. According to these results, PEO from ground leaves has the potential to be used in food industry and packaging, production of nutraceuticals, natural pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.