YIELD AND QUALITY OF THE SUMMER SAVORY HERB (Satureia hortensis L.) GROWN FOR A BUNCH HARVEST

The quality of fresh herbs used mainly as food products, is dependent on a number of factors, including the agronomic and environmental ones. The pharmacopoeial material of summer savory is the whole or ground herb, which besides essential oil, contains many other biologically active compounds, such as tannins, carotenoids, flavonoids, and minerals. The aim of the study was to evaluate the yielding of summer savory intended for bunches harvest and mineral composition of the raw material depending on the sowing time and harvesting time. The savory seeds were sown directly into the field on two dates: 23 April and 7 May 2010–2011. The raw material was collected twice: on 1 July and 16 August. Both the first sowing date and the first harvest date affected most preferably the yield of fresh savory herb. Biological value of the ground herb was high and depended on the time of plant harvest. Significantly the greatest content of L-ascorbic acid (39.60 mg 100 g-1 FW), chlorophyll a + b (88.25 mg 100 g-1 FW), carotenoids (26.15 mg 100 g-1 FW), and essential oil (1.79 ml 100 g-1) was found at plants from the first harvest. More nutrients were found at savory plants collected in the first date as compared to the second date. The results show the possibility of using the dry summer savory herb as a source of microelements in a human diet. Analyzing all test parameters affecting the quality of raw material, it is clear that the savory plants used for bunches should be collected at the beginning of July, regardless of the sowing date.