The present study was carried out to determine, for the first time, the chemical composition and antibacterial activity of essential oils derived from the aerial parts of three aromatic plants Thymus algeriensis Boiss & Reut, Rosmarinus officinalis L., and Salvia officinalis L. growing under semiarid conditions. The essential oils were chemically analyzed and identified by gas chromatography (GC) and GC/ mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and their antimicrobial activity was individually evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using both agar disk diffusion and agar dilution methods. The major constituents of Thymus algeriensis essential oil were identified as camphor (13.62%), 1,8-cineol (6.00%), borneol (5.74%), viridiflorol (4.00%), and linalool (3.93%). For Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil, 48 compounds were characterized, of which the main constituents were camphor (17.09%), Z-β-ocimene (10.88%), isoborneol (9.68%), α-bisabolol (7.89%), and borneol (5.11%). While, Salvia officinalis essential oil was characterized by β-thujone (16.44%), followed by viridiflorol (10.93%), camphor (8.99%), 1,8-cineol (8.11%), trans-caryophyllene (5.85%), and α-humulene (4.69%) as the major components. Notably, results from antibacterial screening indicated that Thymus algeriensis and Salvia officinalis essential oils exhibited a strong inhibitory effect against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus compared to Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil. Further, less activity was recorded against Pseudomonas aeruginosa for the three tested essential oils.
Composition and microbial activity of thyme (Thymus algeriensis genuinus) essential oil
