Abstract
The antimicrobial properties of fifteen essential oils (EOs) tested on seventeen microorganisms were determined using the vapour-agar contact method. The most effective EOs (i.e. Lavandula angustifolia, Cymbopogon nardus, Citrus aurantifolia, Juniperus communis, Myrtus communis and Cinnamomum zeylanicum), whose volatile components afforded the best antimicrobial properties, were selected for a detailed study of chemical composition. All these six EOs contained one to three main components that presented 67-91 mass % of total mass of a corresponding essential oil. The amount of other components was much lower (less than 5 mass %). The volatile components of Lavandula angustifolia exhibited the most effective antimicrobial properties because they completely inhibited the tested bacteria and fungi within 3 days and 1 week, respectively. The components of Lavandula angustifolia with the highest concentration in the gaseous phase were linalool (99.0 ppmv), eucalyptol (44.9 ppmv), linalyl acetate (25.9 ppmv), myrcene (22.2 ppmv), β-trans-ocimene (19.7 ppmv), camphor (16.7 ppmv) and limonene (14.9 ppmv).
References
Aguiar, R. W. S., Ootani, M. A., Ascencio, S. D., Ferreira, T. P. S., dos Santos, M. M., & dos Santos, G. R. (2014). Fumigant antifungal activity of Corymbia citriodora and Cymbopogon nardus essential oils and citronellal against three fungal species. The Scientific World Journal, 2014, 492138. DOI: 10.1155/2014/492138.10.1155/2014/492138Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
Badawy, M. E. I., & Abdelgaleil, S. A. M. (2014). Composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils isolated from Egyptian plants against plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Industrial Crops and Products, 52, 776-782. DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2013.12.003.10.1016/j.indcrop.2013.12.003Search in Google Scholar
Bakkali, F., Averbeck, S., Averbeck, D., & Idaomar, M. (2008). Biological effects of essential oils - A review. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 46, 446-475. DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2007.09.106.10.1016/j.fct.2007.09.106Search in Google Scholar PubMed
Bergkvist, T. P. (2007). Antimicrobial activity of four volatile essential oils. Master thesis in Pharmacy, Charles Sturt University, Göteborg, Sweden. Burt, S. (2004). Essential oils: their antibacterial properties and potential applications in foods-a review. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 94, 223-253. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2004.03.022.10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2004.03.022Search in Google Scholar PubMed
Cabral, C., Francisco, V., Cavaleiro, C., Gon,calves, M. J., Cruz, M. T., Sales, F., Batista, M. T., & Salgueiro L. (2012). Essential oil of Juniperus communis subsp. alpina (Suter) Čelak needles: Chemical composition, antifungal activity and cytotoxicity. Phytotherapy Research, 26, 1352-1357. DOI: 10.1002/ptr.3730.10.1002/ptr.3730Search in Google Scholar PubMed
Cavanagh, H. M. A. (2007). Antifungal activity of the volatile phase of essential oils: A brief review. Natural Product Communications, 2, 1297-1302.10.1177/1934578X0700201222Search in Google Scholar
Cherrat, L., Espina, L., Bakkali, M., Garcia-Gonzalo, D., Pagan, R., & Laglaoui, A. (2014). Chemical composition and antioxidant properties of Laurus nobilis L. and Myrtus communis L. essential oils from Morocco and evaluation of their antimicrobial activity acting alone or in combined processes for food preservation. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 94, 1197-1204. DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.6397.10.1002/jsfa.6397Search in Google Scholar PubMed
Cong, Y., Abulizi, P., Zhi, L., Wang, X., & Mirensha (2008). Chemical composition of the essential oil of Lavandula angustifolia from Xinjiang, China. Chemistry of Natural Compounds, 44, 810. DOI: 10.1007/s10600-009-9210-8.10.1007/s10600-009-9210-8Search in Google Scholar
Evandri, M. G., Battinelli, L., Daniele, C., Mastrangelo, S., Bolle, P., & Mazzanti, G. (2005). The antimutagenic activity of Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) essential oil in the bacterial reverse mutation assay. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 43, 1381-1387. DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2005.03.013.10.1016/j.fct.2005.03.013Search in Google Scholar PubMed
Gardeli, C., Papageorgiou, V., Mallouchos, A., Theodosis, K., & Komaitis, M. (2008). Essential oil composition of Pistacia lentiscus L. and Myrtus communis L.: Evaluation of antioxidant capacity of methanolic extracts. Food Chemistry, 107, 1120-1130. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2007.09.036.10.1016/j.foodchem.2007.09.036Search in Google Scholar
Glišić, S. B., Milojević, S. Ž., Dimitrijević, S. I., Orlović, A. M., & Skala, D. U. (2007). Antimicrobial activity of the essential oil and different fractions of Juniperus communis L. and a comparison with some commercial antibiotics. Journal of the Serbian Chemical Society, 72, 311-320. DOI: 10.2298/jsc0704311g.10.2298/JSC0704311GSearch in Google Scholar
Hsouna, A. B., Hamdi, N., Miladi, R., & Abdelkafi, S. (2014). Myrtus communis essential oil: Chemical composition and antimicrobial activities against food spoilage pathogens. Chemistry & Biodiversity, 11, 571-580. DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.201300153.10.1002/cbdv.201300153Search in Google Scholar PubMed
Inouye, S., Takizawa, T., & Yamaguchi, H. (2001). Antibacterial activity of essential oils and their major constituents against respiratory tract pathogens by gaseous contact. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 47, 565-573. DOI: 10.1093/jac/47.5.565.10.1093/jac/47.5.565Search in Google Scholar PubMed
Inouye, S., Uchida, K., & Abe, S. (2006). Vapor activity of 72 essential oils against a Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy, 12, 210-216. DOI: 10.1007/s10156-006-0449-8.10.1007/s10156-006-0449-8Search in Google Scholar PubMed
Jayaprakasha, G. K., Rao, L. J. M., & Sakariah, K. K. (2000). Chemical composition of the flower oil of Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 48, 4294-4295. DOI: 10.1021/jf991395c.10.1021/jf991395cSearch in Google Scholar PubMed
Kalemba, D., & Kunicka, A. (2003). Antibacterial and antifungal properties of essential oils. Current Medicinal Chemistry, 10, 813-829. DOI: 10.2174/0929867033457719.10.2174/0929867033457719Search in Google Scholar PubMed
Kaloustian, J., Chevalier, J., Mikail, C., Martino, M., Abou, L., & Vergnes, M. F. (2008). Study of six essential oils: chemical composition and antibacterial activity. Phytotherapie, 6, 160-164. DOI: 10.1007/s10298-008-0307-1. (in French) Laird, K., & Phillips, C. (2011). Vapour phase: a potential future use for essential oils as antimicrobials? Letters in Applied Microbiology, 54, 169-174. DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-765x.2011.03190.x.10.1111/j.1472-765X.2011.03190.xSearch in Google Scholar PubMed
Loizzo, M. R., Tundis, R., Bonesi, M., Menichini, F., De Luca, D., Colica, C., & Menichini, F. (2012). Evaluation of Citrus aurantifolia peel and leaves extracts for their chemical composition, antioxidant and anti-cholinesterase activities. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 92, 2960-2967. DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.5708.10.1002/jsfa.5708Search in Google Scholar PubMed
Mondello, F., Girolamo, A., Scaturro, M., & Ricci, M. L. (2009). Determination of Legionella pneumophila susceptibility to Melaleuca alternifolia Cheel (tea tree) oil by an improved broth micro-dilution method under vapour controlled conditions. Journal of Microbiological Methods, 77, 243-248. DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2009.02.012.10.1016/j.mimet.2009.02.012Search in Google Scholar PubMed
Nakahara, K., Alzoreky, N. S., Yoshihashi, T., Nguyen, H. T. T., & Trakoontivakorn, G. (2003). Chemical composition and antifungal activity of essential oil from Cymbopogon nardus (Citronella grass). Japan Agricultural Research Quarterly: JARQ, 37, 249-252. DOI: 10.6090/jarq.37.249.10.6090/jarq.37.249Search in Google Scholar
Peškova, J., Pařizek, P., & Večeřa, Z. (2001). Wet effluent diffusion denuder technique and determination of volatile organic compounds in air I. Oxo compounds (alcohols and ketones). Journal of Chromatography A, 918, 153-158. DOI: 10.1016/s0021-9673(01)00733-6.10.1016/S0021-9673(01)00733-6Search in Google Scholar
Raina, V. K., Srivastava, S. K., Aggarwal, K. K., Ramesh S., & Kumar, S. (2001). Essential oil composition of Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume leaves from Little Andaman, India. Flavour and Fragnance Journal, 16, 374-376. DOI: 10.1002/ffj.1016.10.1002/ffj.1016Search in Google Scholar
Ranasinghe, L., Jayawardena, B., & Abeywickrama, K. (2002). Fungicidal activity of essential oils of Cinnamomum zeylanicum (L.) and Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr et L.M.Perry against crown rot and anthracnose pathogens isolated from banana. Letters in Applied Microbiology, 35, 208-211. DOI: 10.1046/j.1472-765x.2002.01165.x.10.1046/j.1472-765X.2002.01165.xSearch in Google Scholar
Reichling, J., Schnitzler, P., Suschke, U., & Saller, R. (2009). Essential oils of aromatic plants with antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and cytotoxic properties - an overview. Forschende Komplementarmedizin, 16, 79-90. DOI: 10.1159/000207196.10.1159/000207196Search in Google Scholar
Sklenska, J., Broškovičova, A., & Večeřa, Z. (2002). Wet effluent diffusion denuder technique and the determination of volatile organic compounds in air II. Monoterpenes. Journal of Chromatography A, 973, 211-216. DOI: 10.1016/s0021-9673(02)01214-1.10.1016/S0021-9673(02)01214-1Search in Google Scholar
Śmigielski, K. B., Prusinowska, R., Krosowiak, K., & Sikora, M. (2013). Comparison of qualitative and quantitative chemical composition of hydrolate and essential oils of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia). Journal of Essential Oil Research, 25, 291-299. DOI: 10.1080/10412905.2013.775080.10.1080/10412905.2013.775080Search in Google Scholar
Soylu, E. M., Soylu, S., & Kurt, S. (2006). Antimicrobial activities of the essential oils of various plants against tomato late blight disease agent Phytophthora infestans. Mycopathologia, 161, 119-128. DOI: 10.1007/s11046-005-0206-z.10.1007/s11046-005-0206-zSearch in Google Scholar PubMed
Suhr, K. I., & Nielsen, P. V. (2003). Antifungal activity of essential oils evaluated by two different application techniques against rye bread spoilage fungi. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 94, 665-674. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2672.2003.01896.x.10.1046/j.1365-2672.2003.01896.xSearch in Google Scholar PubMed
Tullio, V., Nostro, A., Mandras, N., Dugo, P., Banche, G., Cannatelli, M. A., Cuffini, A. M., Alonzo, V., & Carlone, N. A. (2007). Antifungal activity of essential oils against filamentous fungi determined by broth microdilution and vapour contact methods. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 102, 1544-1550. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2006.03191.x.10.1111/j.1365-2672.2006.03191.xSearch in Google Scholar PubMed
Tyagi, A. K., & Malik, A. (2010). Liquid and vapour-phase antifungal activities of selected essential oils against Candida albicans: microscopic observations and chemical characterization of Cymbopogon cittratus. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 10, 65. DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-10-65.10.1186/1472-6882-10-65Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
Tyagi, A. K., & Malik, A. (2011a). Antimicrobial potential and chemical composition of Eucalyptus globulus oil in liquid and vapour phase against food spoilage microorganisms. Food Chemistry, 126, 228-235. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2010.11.002.10.1016/j.foodchem.2010.11.002Search in Google Scholar
Tyagi, A. K., & Malik, A. (2011b). Antimicrobial potential and chemical composition of Mentha piperita oil in liquid and vapour phase against food spoiling microorganisms. Food Control, 22, 1707-1714. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2011.04.002.10.1016/j.foodcont.2011.04.002Search in Google Scholar
Unlu, M., Ergene, E., Unlu, G. V., Zeytinoglu, H. S., & Vural, N. (2010). Composition, antimicrobial activity and in vitro cytotoxicity of essential oil from Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume (Lauraceae). Food and Chemical Toxicology, 48, 3274-3280. DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2010.09.001.10.1016/j.fct.2010.09.001Search in Google Scholar PubMed
Wei, L. S., & Wee, W. (2013). Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Cymbopogon nardus citronella essential oil against systemic bacteria of aquatic animals. Iranian Journal of Microbiology, 5, 147-152. Search in Google Scholar
© Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences