About This Special Issue
The aromatic plants, as well as their processed products, have been widely used as flavoring agents since ancient times. However, during the last few decades they have also become the subject of a search for natural antioxidants and antibacterial agents . Within a growing interest in the use of volatiles in both the food and the pharmaceutical industries, a systematic examination of plant extracts for these properties has become increasingly important. Therefore, there is a growing interest in substances exhibiting antioxidant properties that are supplied to human and animal organisms as food components or as specific preventative pharmaceuticals. In the group of secondary plant metabolites, antioxidant phenolics are commonly found in various fruits, vegetables and herbs and they have been shown to provide a defense against oxidative stress from oxidizing agents and free radicals. In addition, the presence of phenolic compounds (phenolic acids, polyphenols and flavonoids) in plants, herbs (especially herbal infusions, frequently used as home medicines) and spices, is gaining increasing attention because of their various functions, such as antioxidative, pharmacological and flavouring properties. However, the quantitative and qualitative changes in phenolics and aromatic compounds are dependent on the biological cycle of the aromatic plant and the organ studied.
This issue covers the following topic but are not always limited:
1. Pharmacological potential of aromtic plants and their organs.
2. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of phenolics and aromatic compounds from the aromatic plant and their organs.
3. Phytochemistry.
4. Biological and chemistry changes according to the vegetative cycle of medecinal plants and their different organs.
5. Isolation, identification and structural elucidation of phenolics and aromatic compounds.
6. Techniques and applications of aromatic plant research and their different organs.
7. Review of aromatic plants.