Salinity impact on fruit yield, essential oil composition and antioxidant activities of Coriandrum sativum fruit extracts

This study is designed to examine the fruit essential oil composition, the total phenolic amounts and the antioxidant activities in methanolic extracts of Coriandrum sativum under saline conditions. Increasing NaCl levels to 75 mM reduced significantly the fruit yield by 36%. The essential oil yield was 0.30%, based on the dry weight; it increased by 77% and 84% at 50 and 75 mM NaCl, respectively, in comparison to the control. The major constituents were linalool and camphor, whose amounts increased with increasing NaCl concentrations. Antioxidant activities of the methanol extracts were determined by three different test systems, namely DPPH, β-carotene/linoleic acid and reducing power assays. In these three test systems, the highest activity was exhibited in control plants and was reduced significantly with increasing NaCl levels. In control plants, the total phenolic amount was 1.04 mg GAE/g DW which decreased by 43% and 66% at 50 and 75 mM NaCl, respectively.