Abstract
Melaleuca is one of the genera of the Myrtaceae family enriched in tea tree oil (TTO). Tea tree oils of Melaleuca bracteata and Melaleuca alternifolia are of prime importance and have antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Terpinen-4-ol and 1-8 cineole are major constituents of M. alternifolia oil. The percentages of the compounds in the oils can slightly vary according to the region of plant harvest, the distillation technique, or the part of the plant used for oil extraction. TTO has a bactericidal effect against various bacterial species such as Bacillus cereus, B. subtilis, E. coli, Pseudomonas putida, and S. aureus. Several reports proved that this essential oil is also effective against fungal strains of Fusarium, Aspergillus, and Candida species. It also has antioxidant properties such as radical scavenging activity and reducing power. The antioxidant properties of TTO at a concentration of 30 mM were observed to be greater than those of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), commonly used as a synthetic antioxidant. TTO is also an effective organic fungicide, herbicide, and insecticide for use in the agriculture sector. Postharvest application of the oil has been found efficient on sweet basil, citrus, and strawberry. It is concluded that tea tree oil has the potential to be used in the food, agriculture, and pharmaceutical industries as a natural antimicrobial and preservative agent. This review provides comprehensive information regarding the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of tea tree oil and its potential applications in agriculture.
Highlights
The natural products of plants such as essential oils (EOs) are highly valued worldwide.EOs are complex volatile compounds extracted from roots, branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, fruits, buds, and seeds, which are stored in glandular trichomes, cavities, canals, epidermal, and secretory cells [1,2]
The characteristics of essential oils depend on their composition, which in turn may be altered by extraction techniques and be influenced by the geographical area of plant harvest, season [20], and plant genetics [30] and developmental stage [31]
Though the tea tree oil from this species is not commercialized like the product from M. alternifolia species, this essential oil has antioxidant and antibacterial properties, mainly due to eugenol methyl ether [69]
Summary
The natural products of plants such as essential oils (EOs) are highly valued worldwide. The applications of EOs are continuously increasing due to their insecticidal, antifungal, antiviral, antibacterial [1], anti-inflammatory [2], anti-microbial [3], anxiolytic, and antidepressant properties, tested in vitro [4]. Various chemical compounds such as flavonoids (quercetin), glycosides (chrysoeriol 7-O-glucopyranoside), alkaloids (terpinene), and phenolics (thymol) are responsible for the above-mentioned properties of EOs [2,5]. Melaleuca is an indigenous genus of Australia that can adapt to various agro-climatic zones Major species of this genus such as M. alternifolia, M. quinquenervia, M. bracteata, and M. cajuputi, are subjected to oil extraction, and their essential oil is known as tea tree oil (TTO) worldwide [2,6]. This review provides comprehensive information regarding the antimicrobial and antibacterial activities of tea tree oil and its potential applications in agriculture
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