Abstract

Cedroncillo (Aloysia herrerae Moldenke) and Pampa muña (Hedeoma mandoniana Wedd.) are native plants from the Peruvian Andes traditionally used in folk medicine to treat digestive disorders and respiratory diseases. Essential oils (EOs) extracted from the leaves of both species were analysed by GC–MS/MS to identify their chemical composition, antimicrobial activity, and bioactive properties. The EO of Cedroncillo (CEO) contained 30 terpenoid compounds, with the most abundant being D-limonene (45.77%), sabinene (29.60%), (R)-(+)-pulegone (9.91%), and (R)-(+)-citronellal (9.33%). In the EO of Pampa muña (PEO), 15 terpenoid compounds were identified, predominantly (R)-(+)-pulegone (68.31%), D-isomenthone (19.00%), α-pinene (7.13%), and D-limonene (2.05%). Both EOs exhibited bactericidal activity against pathogens of public health relevance, including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis, and Candida albicans. The antioxidant capacity measured by 2,2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity assays was 17.83 and 1,801 μmol TE ml−1 for CEO, and 38.91 and 1,368 μmol TE ml−1 for PEO, respectively. Additionally, both oils showed inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase, pancreatic lipase, and cholinesterase enzymes (acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase). These findings support that CEO and PEO contain terpenoid compounds with antimicrobial and bioactive properties, highlighting their potential applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. © The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Institute of Food Science and Technology.