Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils made from Lavandula x intermedia from Hvar (Croatia)

The aim of the study was to investigate the essential oil (EO) of Lavandula x intermedia cv. Bila, which has not been studied before. The EOs were distilled from plants collected in two consecutive years on the island of Hvar (Croatia) and in the Karst (Slovenia) and analysed for chemical composition and antimicrobial activity. The main component of EOs was linalool, but the EOs from Hvar had higher contents of Z-beta-ocimene and borneol + lavandulol than the EOs from Karst, in which camphor, linalyl acetate and 1,8-cineole predominated. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated using the minimum inhibitory concentration and proved that the EOs were effective against Candida spp. Studies have shown that the composition of L. x intermedia EO depends on the variety and the climatic and geographical characteristics of the plant growth. The antimicrobial activity of EO is also influenced by the type and strain of microorganisms involved in the research.