Mentha spp. are used in the food and pharmaceutical industry; the plants are characterized by natural interspecies hybridization. In this study, knowledge of the chemical composition of Mentha spp. was broadened by focusing on plants grown in a geographically small region of Estonia. The antibacterial activity of Mentha spp. essential oils and water extracts was evaluated. Polyphenolic water extracts of M. × villosa Huds., M. × suaveolens Ehrh., and M. × gracilis Sole were tested for the first time on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Leaves of cultivated and wild-grown plants (n = 33) were collected. The microdistilled essential oil composition reflected the diversity within the genus Mentha. Determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (MS), major compounds were cis-piperitone oxide, carvone, linalool, menthol, and menthofuran. Based on high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet-MS/MS analyses of the water extracts, no species-specific polyphenolic compounds could be proposed. Abundant polyphenols were rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid B, and eriocitrin. Essential oils exhibited antibacterial activity on E. coli and S. aureus by the broth dilution method. Water extracts showed activity only against S. aureus. This study supports the use of Mentha spp. as health-promoting ingredients in food. However, further studies are still needed to widen the knowledge of the chemical composition of these plants.

薄荷（Mentha spp。）用于食品和制药行业；这些植物的特征是自然的种间杂交。在这项研究中，有关薄荷的化学成分的知识。通过专注于在爱沙尼亚地理上较小的地区种植的植物扩大了种植面积。薄荷（Mentha spp）的抗菌活性。对精油和水提取物进行了评估。M的多酚水提取物。× villosa Huds。，M。×木樨Ehrh。，和中号。× gracilis Sole首次在大肠杆菌和金黄色葡萄球菌上进行测试。收集了栽培和野生植物的叶子（n = 33）。微蒸馏的精油成分反映了薄荷（Mentha）属的多样性。通过气相色谱-质谱（MS）测定，主要化合物为顺式-哌啶酮氧化物，香芹酮，芳樟醇，薄荷醇和薄荷脑。基于高效液相色谱-紫外-MS / MS对水提取物进行分析，无法提出物种特异性的多酚化合物。丰富的多酚是迷迭香酸，丹酚酸B和eriocitrin。通过肉汤稀释法，香精油对大肠杆菌和金黄色葡萄球菌具有抗菌活性。水提取物仅对金黄色葡萄球菌有活性。这项研究支持薄荷醇（Mentha spp）的使用。作为食品中促进健康的成分。但是，仍然需要进一步的研究来拓宽这些植物化学成分的知识。