CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF ESSENTIAL OILS FROM BLACK PEPPER, CUMIN, CORIANDER AND CARDAMOM AGAINST SOME PATHOGENIC MICROORGANISMS.

Four popular spices black pepper (Piper nigrum L.), cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.), coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) and cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) were analyzed for their oil composition by GC-MS. Thirty compounds were identified in the black pepper oil and the main components were β-caryophyllene (20.225 %), sabinene (18.054 %), limonene (16.924 %), a-pinene (9.171 %) and α-phellandrene (5.968 %). Twenty five compounds were identified in the cumin oil - cuminaldehyde (30.834 %), 3-caren-10-al (17.223 %), β-pinene (14.837 %), ϒ-terpinene (11.928 %), 2-caren-10-al (8.228 %) and pcymene (6.429 %). Twenty nine compounds were identified in the coriander oil - ⛚-linalool (58.141 %), β-pinene (8.731 %), ϒ-terpinene (6.347 %) and p-cymene (5.227 %). Twenty nine compounds were identified in the cardamom oil - β-terpinyl acetate (39.032 %), eucalyptol (31.534 %), β-linalool (4.829 %), sabinene (4.308 %) and α-terpineol (4.127 %). The antimicrobial activity of essential oils against pathogenic (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Escherichia coli ATCC 8739, Salmonella sp. (clinical isolate), Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538P, Proteus vulgaris G) microorganisms by disc-diffusion method was examined. Gram-positive bacteria were more sensitive to the oils (inhibition zones being between 8 and 12.5 mm) and the minimum inhibitory concentration was more than 600 ppm; Gram-negative bacteria were less sensitive. The obtained essential oils are suitable for use as biopreservative agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]