Chemical composition, antibacterial and antioxidant activities of six essentials oils from the Alliaceae family.

Dima Mnayer,Xavier Fernandez,Anne-Sylvie Fabiano-Tixier,Tayssir Hamieh,Emmanuel Petitcolas,Farid Chemat,Christine Ferrant,Nancy Nehme

doi:10.3390/molecules191220034

Dima Mnayer, Xavier Fernandez + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules191220034

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Abstract

Six essential oils (EOs) from the Alliaceae family, namely garlic (Allium sativum), onion (Allium cepa), leek (Allium porrum), Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum), shallot (Allium ascalonicum) and chive (Allium schoenoprasum) were characterized by GC and GC-MS and evaluated for their functional food properties. Antibacterial properties were tested on five food-borne pathogens: Two Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Listeria monocytogenes (ATCC 19115) and three Gram-negative Salmonella Typhimurium (ATCC 14028), Escherichia coli (ATCC 8739) and Campylobacter jejuni (ATCC 33291) bacteria. Antioxidant and radical-scavenging properties were tested by means of Folin-Ciocalteu and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. Garlic, Chinese chive and onion EOs had the highest antibacterial activity whereas shallot and leek EOs were the strongest antioxidants. Heating caused a decrease in the antioxidant activity of these Eos, as shown in the Total Polar Materials (TPM) test. Suggestions on relationships between chemical composition and biological activities are presented. Results show that the EOs could be of value in the food industry as alternatives to synthetic antioxidants.

Highlights

Allium species, the most important genus of the Alliaceae family, are among the oldest cultivated vegetables
Staphylococcus aureus was highly sensitive to the control (30.6 mm, p < 0.05), followed by Listeria monocytogenes (28.0 mm)
The most effective in this respect was garlic oil inhibiting all five bacteria tested with different sensitivities

Summary

Introduction

The most important genus of the Alliaceae family, are among the oldest cultivated vegetables. Allium species are characterized by their rich content in sulfur compounds that are responsible for the organoleptic parameters [2,3] and contribute to the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of these vegetables [4,5,6,7,8]. These volatile components constitute the major part of the essential oils of these plants [9]

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