A Comparative Study of the Essential Oils of Five Satureja species From Iran

A Comparative Study of the Essential Oils of Five Satureja species From Iran AHMAD REZA GOLPARVAR 1*, SHAKIBA IRAVANI2, REZA KHALILIAZAR1, AMIN HADIPANAH3 1- Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, Water, Food and Nutraceuticals, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran 2- Department of School of Health Science, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia 3-Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran *Corresponding author’s E-mail: ahmad.golparvar@iau.ac.ir Received: 20 October 2025 Accepted: 18 January 2026 ABSTRACT The Satureja genus, a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae), subfamily Nepetoideae, was studied for the chemical composition of essential oils derived from its aerial parts. Essential oils were extracted via hydro-distillation from five species: Satureja khuzestanica Jamzad, Satureja rechingeri Jamzad, Satureja bachtiarica Bunge, Satureja macrantha C. A. Mey, and Satureja hortensis L. The chemical profiles of these oils were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The oil yields from the aerial parts ranged from 1.43% in S. khuzestanica to 2.45% in S. hortensis. Analysis identified 24 constituents in the essential oil of S. khuzestanica, with carvacrol (86.47%) and p-cymene (4.28%) as the main components. The oil of S. bachtiarica contained 26 compounds, dominated by carvacrol (39.41%), p-cymene (16.85%), thymol (12.38%), and γ-terpinene (10.64%). In the oil of S. macrantha, 24 components were identified, with carvacrol (45.96%), p-cymene (13.61%), thymol (11.21%), and γ-terpinene (7.81%) as the main constituents. The essential oil of S. rechingeri comprised 23 components, primarily carvacrol (79.83%) and γ-terpinene (4.92%). Lastly, 19 components were identified in the oil of S. hortensis, where carvacrol (53.24%), γ-terpinene (18.92%), and p-cymene (8.62%) were the major constituents. The findings highlight significant variation in the chemical compositions of essential oils among these Satureja species. Notably, the oils of S. khuzestanica and S. rechingeri exhibited higher carvacrol content compared to the other species. Key words: Satureja bachtiarica Bunge, S. khuzestanica Jamzad, S. rechingeri Jamzad, S. macrantha C. A. Mey. S. hortensis L, chemical composition.