Antimicrobial and Free Radical Scavenging Activities of Basil (Ocimum basilicum) Essential Oil Isolated from Five Plant Varieties Growing in Greece

Eriotou E Anastasiadou K

doi:10.4172/2155-9600.1000367

Abstract

The antimicrobial activity and DPPH free radical scavenging capacity of six essential oils isolated from the leaves (in all cases) and flowers (in one case) of five basil varieties (Ocimum basilicum) growing in Greece were examined. The antimicrobial activity was probed via disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration and tested against 16 Gram-positive and 17 Gram-negative ATCC bacterial strains. The essential oils from three basil varieties exhibited statistically significant increased antimicrobial activity towards Gram-positive relative to Gram-negative bacteria. Both antimicrobial and free radical scavenging activities showed significant dependence on basil variety as well as on plant part.

Highlights

New technologies can improve food safety, microbiological hazards and the foodborne diseases they cause may lead to increasingly important public health problems
The current study examines the in vitro antimicrobial activity of basil Essential oils (EOs) in a large number of bacterial strains (33 in total) which are almost distributed between Gram-positive and Gram-negative ones (16 and 17 strains respectively) for the first time
All bacteria were susceptible to all EOs tested, the degree of inhibition varied among the EOs

Summary

Introduction

New technologies (such as genetic engineering, irradiation of food and modified-atmosphere packaging) can improve food safety, microbiological hazards and the foodborne diseases they cause may lead to increasingly important public health problems. The emergence of increased antibiotic resistance in bacteria causing foodborne disease is an additional complicating factor. There is shortage of new antibiotics able to act against multidrug-resistant bacteria [2] and innovative approaches are needed for the development of new antimicrobial agents. Some areas currently being investigated include natural products screening, exploring novel chemical species and development of antibiotic potentiators (e.g. efflux-pump inhibitors). Essential oils and herbal extracts have attracted scientific interest due to their potential use as antimicrobial and/or antioxidant compounds in food [3,4,5]. Several EOs have been studied for several types of biological effects among which antimicrobial, antiinflammatory and antioxidant activities [6,7,8]. There is experimental evidence, not definitive [9], which associates the use of such additives with toxic effects in biological systems [10]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion