Antimicrobial potential of essential oil from Pastinaca sativa L.

Abstract

The aim of the current investigation was to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of Pastinaca sativa L. (Apiaceae) essential oil. The aerial parts of plants were collected at Kopaonik Mountain (Serbia) and the essential oil has been isolated by hydrodistillation from this plant material. Essential oil was dominated by (Z)-β-ocimene (10.8%), hexyl butanoate (10.4%), (E)-β-farnesene (6.1%) and lavandulyl acetate (5.2%). The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil was investigated using a micro-well dilution assay against the most common human gastrointestinal pathogenic microbial strains: Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enteritidis, Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and yeast Candida albicans. The results showed that minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimal fungicidal concentrations of essential oil ranged from 0.72 μg/ml (for the most sensitive B. cereus) to above 92.5 mg/ml for S. enteritidis and L. monocytogenes. This finding suggests that P. sativa may be considered as a natural source of antimicrobial agents.

Keywords

• antimicrobial potential
• essential oil
• Pastinaca sativa L.