Role of Plant Essential Oils in Conventional Fish Production

Abstract

Essential oils are natural, volatile, complex compounds having a characteristic strong odour and are synthesized by aromatic plants as secondary metabolite. They are in liquid form, colorless, soluble in fats and organic solvents with a low density than water. These oils are synthesized by all parts of the plant that includes roots, stems, branches, bark, wood, leaves, buds, flowers, fruits, and seeds. The oils are deposited in secretory cells, ducts, cavities, epidermal cells or glandular trichomes like the active ingredient present in essential oils initiating from plant metabolites, their chemical content differ depending on the plant part, the degree of growth and development, the time of day or time of year and the environment where such plants are found.