Essential oils of Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Cymbopogon nardus and Zingiber officinale: composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activities

Abstract

The aims of this study were to chemically characterize and to evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the citronella (Cymbopogon nardus), cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) and ginger (Zingiber officinale) essential oils. The essential oil extraction was performed by the using of hydrodistillation through the modified Clevenger apparatus, and identification and quantification of the constituents by the GC/MS and GC-FID analysis. Evaluation of antibacterial activity was performed by using agar well diffusion method, with Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19117, Escherichia coli ATCC 11229, Salmonella Cholerasuis ATCC 6539 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by using β-carotene/linoleic acid system and the radical scavenging DPPH method. In chromatographic analysis the major constituents of  C. nardus essential oil were citronellal (47.12%), geraniol (18.56%) and citronellol (11.07%),  in the C. zeylanicum essential oil were identified (E)-cinnamaldehyde (77.72%), acetate (E)-cinnamyl (5.99%) and the monoterpenoid 1,8-cineole (4.66%) as major components, and in Z. officinale the majority were geranial (25.06%), neral (16.47%), 1,8-cineole (10.98%), geraniol (8.51%), geranyl acetate (4.19%) and camphene (4.30%). The essential oils showed antibacterial activity for both Gram-negative and Gram-positive microorganisms, and the most efficient was C. zeylanicum essential oil. The antioxidant activity was observed, when using β-carotene/ linoleic acid system, for C. nardus, followed by Z. officinale and C. zeylanicum and, when using DPPH test, activity was observed only for C. nardus.