| Summary: | The current study investigated and determined the major compounds of six essential oils derived from different plant species cultivated in Greece (<i>Lavandula angustifolia, Origanum vulgare, Pistacia lentiscus</i> var. <i>chia, Citrus reticulata, Citrus limon</i> and <i>Crithmum maritimum</i>). The results proved that all these essential oils have a high potential for use as food preservatives, since among the compounds determined were sabinene, b-myrcene, a-pinene, carvacrol and limonene, all of which were responsible for the strong antimicrobial activity against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>. However, the amounts of some compounds, such as linalool and citral, were at high levels, and this can be a danger for some sensitive population groups due to allergic reactions. The essential oil compounds which were identified using GC-MS and quantified through GC-FID represented more than 95% of the total essential oils of the investigated plant species. Finally, all essential oils provided high phenolic content.
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