Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of Essential Oil and Methanolic Extract of Artemisia absinthium L. Aerial Part on Typical Food-borne Pathogens

Abstract

This study was carried out to evaluate the chemical composition of essential oil and in vitro antibacterial activity of the essential oil and methanolic extract of Artemisia absinthium L. against 3 bacterial (1 gram-negative and 2 gram-positive bacteria) species using dick-diffusion method. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were quantified by micro-dilution method. The essential oil was obtained by hydro-distillation and analyzed by Gas chromatography-Mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The GC-MS analysis of the essential oil revealed 45 compounds. The inhibition zones of essential oil of Artemisia absinthium L was 11.2, 10 and 9 mm respectively against S. aureus, L. monocytogenes and E. coli. The lowest MIC (obtained against S. aureus and L. monocytogenes respectively) and MBC (obtained against L. monocytogenes) was determined for the essential oil at concentrations: 7.3 and 10.4 mg/ml respectively. The sensitivity of S. aureus and L. monocytogenes was more than E. coli. Results showed significant antibacterial activity for this herbal essential oil and extract which suggest its capacity as a natural food preservative against bacteria in the food industry by considering the organoleptic properties and probable interactions.