engleski

Antibacterial Activity of Ocimum Essential Oils

The genus Ocimum L. (Lamiaceae), collectively called basil has long been acclaimed for its diversity as a source of essential oil, which contains biologically active constituents that are insecticidal, nematicidal, fungistatic, antimicrobial or antioxidant. These properties can frequently be attributed to predominant essential oil constituents, such as camphor, estragol, eugenol, linalool, and 1, 8-cineole. Plant material used in this study were seven Ocimum taxa (O. americanum L., O. basilicum L., O. champechianum Mill., O. x citriodorum Vis., O. kilimandscharicum Baker ex Gürke and three botanical cultivars and varieties of O. basilicum: cv. Genovese, var. purpurascens and var. difforme) from the Collection of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the Department of Seed Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Croatia. The aim of this study was to isolate essential oils, identify their active compounds and determine their antimicrobial capacity. After the isolation of essential oils (Clevenger type hydrodistillation), the analyses of the volatile compounds were carried out by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry. Preliminary screening of the antibacterial activity of Ocimum essential oils was done against a number of common foodborne pathogens (Enterococus faecalis, E. faecium, Escherichia coli 0157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, L. ivanovii, Proteus vulgaris, Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermis) using the filter paper disc agar diffusion technique. The broad variation in the antibacterial properties of investigated essential oils was observed. E. coli 0157 was inhibited by O. basilicum cv. Genovese essential oil while O. americanum and O. x citriodorum essential oils were the most effective against Enterococus faecalis, E. faecium, Proteus vulgaris, Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermis. The most active essential oils were selected for further study by agar inactivation method.

antibacterial activity; disc agar diffusion method; essential oil; GC-MS; Ocimum; pathogenic bacteria

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