Specific modulation of flavor and aroma of Greek oregano (Origanum vulgare var. hirtum) and its essential oil

Plantations of Greek oregano (Origanum vulgare var. hirtum) were watered with water treated for 30 min with low-temperature, low-pressure glow plasma of low frequency either in the air, under nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane or molecular oxygen.The kind of the water influenced the yield and quality of crops in terms of a number of plants, their height, total biomass, total number and mass of leaves. Watering the plants with every kind of the plasma treated water provided essential changes in the composition of isolated essential oil. In such manner the composition of the essential oil could be tailored following the consumer demands, particularly in cases of designing better cure potential for herbal medicine and aromatherapy. The selection of particular kind of the plasma treated water for watering provides essential oil of diverse suitability as the spice and flavouring agent. Regarding the kind of water taken for watering always carvacrol was a dominating component of the essential oil. Application of particular kind of treated water always changed the yield of particular components of the oil up to a total inhibition of its formation but never resulted in formation of novel components.