Abstract
Chemical composition of the essential oil from Qiancao roots was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and 43 components were identified in the paper. Mollugin (30.58%) was found to be the major component, followed by 3-methyl-2-cyclopenten-1-one (10.55%), 4-tert-butyl-2-phenyl-phenol (8.64%) and eugenol (6.30%). The antibacterial activity of essential oil against selected food-borne pathogens was evaluated. The results showed that the sensitivity to essential oil were different for different tested bacteria and the essential oil had a strong antibacterial activity against B. cereus with the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericide concentration (MBC) values of 0.0625 and 0.125 mg/mL, respectively. In addition, microbial growth curve assay also showed that the essential oil had a significant effect on the growth rate of surviving B. cereus. The data of this study suggests that the essential oil from Qiancao roots has great potential for application as a natural antimicrobial agent to preserve food.
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