Phytochemicals, Antioxidant, and Antibacterial Activities of Fresh and Dried Chinese Chive (Allium tuberosum Rottler) Leaf Extracts

Abstract

Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum Rottler) is a nutrient-rich vegetable widely cultivated in south-eastern Asia, including Thailand. The objectives of this study were to assess the phytochemical compounds present in fresh and dried Chinese chives obtained through aqueous extraction and to investigate their biological activities, particularly their antioxidant and antibacterial properties. In this study, fresh and dried Chinese chive leaves were extracted using water to obtain fresh Chinese chive extract (FCCE) and dried chive extract (DCCE). The extracts were characterized for their phytochemical compounds and evaluated for their bioactive properties. Based on GC-MS analyses, 5 major bioactive compounds found in both FCCE and DCCE were 2-methoxy-4-vinyl phenol, dimethyl sulfone, n-hexadecanoic acid, 2-hydroxy-gamma-butyrolactone, and furaneol. The FCCE and DCCE extracts exhibited antioxidant properties with the IC50 values of 7.25 ± 0.14/8.62 ± 0.02 mg/ml and 4.91 ± 0.29/6.66 ± 0.03 mg/ml for FCCE and DCCE determined by DPPH/ABTS assays, respectively. Antibacterial activities of FCCE and DCCE against food pathogenic bacteria demonstrated that both extracts could inhibit Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella sp., Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae, and V. parahaemolyticus with the same MIC value (8 mg/ml). Therefore, this study provided a basic knowledge of Chinese chive as a potentially promising source of natural bioactive ingredients for various applications in food technology.