Variation in chemical profile of leaves essential oils from thirteen Tunisian Eucalyptus species and evaluation of their antioxidant and antibacterial properties

Abstract The aromatic medicinal plant Eucalyptus and its essential oils have been used since antiquity in folk medicine. The interest in this genus has increased remarkably over the last decade mostly because of their various biological activities. This study aimed to determine the chemical composition of essential oils of thirteen Eucalyptus species leaves and their antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Obtained results showed that E. maidenii had the highest essential oil yield (6.16 ± 1.55 %). Chemical composition (by GC/MS) was highly affected by the species factor (P