CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITIES OF ESSENTIAL OIL AND ORGANIC EXTRACTS OF CURCUMA AROMATICA SALISB.

Abstract

This study was undertaken to examine the chemical composition of essential oil, and tested the efficacy of oil and organic extracts from leaves of Curcuma aromatica Salisb. to control foodborne and spoilage pathogens. Twenty-three compounds representing 94.29% of the total oil were identified. The oil and organic extracts (hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol) of C. aromatica displayed a remarkable antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (American Type Culture Collection [ATCC] 6538 and Korean Collection for Type Culture [KCTC] 1916), Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19166, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Pseudomonas aeruginosa KCTC 2004, Salmonella typhimurium KCTC 2515 and Escherichia coli ATCC 8739. Also, the oil had strong detrimental effect on the viable count of the tested bacteria. The results obtained from this study may contribute to the development of new antimicrobial agents with potential applications in food industries as natural preservatives. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Foodborne and spoilage pathogens are the leading causes of illness and death in developed countries. These pathogens are responsible for millions of cases of infectious gastrointestinal diseases each year, costing billions of dollars in medical care and lost productivity. Fuelled by these concerns, research on plant-based natural and biological active secondary metabolites to control the foodborne and spoilage pathogens has escalated to unprecedented levels in recent years. The findings of our study clearly indicate that the essential oil and organic extracts from leaves of Curcuma aromatica Salisb. could be used as an effective candidate to control the growth of certain important foodborne and spoilage pathogens.