Parsley (Petroselinum crispum): chemical composition and antibacterial activity of essential oil from organic against foodborne pathogens

Abstract

Microbial contamination is a serious problem for food industries, potentially leading to foodborne diseases that affect human health. Petroselinum crispum, popularly known as parsley, can be used for the production of biologically active essential oil. Considering the demand for novel natural products to control microorganisms, this study aimed to analyze the chemical composition and antibacterial activity of P. crispum essential oil from organic cultivation. Essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation from the aerial part of P. crispum cv. plain (plain leaf type) at 70 days of age and analyzed for chemical composition by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Antibacterial activity was evaluated against five bacterial pathogens by the broth microdilution method. The essential oil yield was 0.02% and the major compounds were apiol (61.94%) and myristicin (9.33%). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of essential oil ranged from 1.70 to 10.00 mg mL−1, with the best activities against Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus. These results demonstrate that apiol-rich essential oil from organic P. crispum shows promise as an antibacterial agent in food and pharmaceutical industries