Resumen

COY BARRERA, Carlos Andrés  y  EUNICE ACOSTA, Gema. Antibacterial activity and chemical composition of essential oils of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and turmeric (Curcuma longa) from Colombia. Rev Cubana Plant Med [online]. 2013, vol.18, n.2, pp. 237-246. ISSN 1028-4796.

Introduction: the chemical composition of three essential oils extracted from rosemary, thyme and turmeric was determined by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. These plants are commonly used in the Colombian food industry, mostly as seasonings. The oils were also evaluated against two gram-positive and two gram-negative strains. Objective: determine the chemical composition and physical constants (density and refractive index) of essential oils of rosemary, thyme and turmeric in 3 different months of the year, and evaluate the antibacterial activity of each against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 and Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028s. Methods: the essential oils were obtained from fresh plant material using a steam distillation apparatus. They were then characterized by gas chromatography mass spectrometry following the protocols reported in the bibliography. Determination was made of the physical properties of the oils. Antibacterial activity was determined by the modified agar diffusion method. Results: analysis of the oils by gas chromatography mass spectrometry revealed the most abundant components in each of the plants. These were piperitone (21.9 %), α-pinene (14.9 %) and linalool (14.9%) for rosemary; 1,8-cineole (21.5 %) and o-cymene (17.9 %) for thyme; and turmerone (36.9 %), α-turmerone (18.9 %) and ß-turmerone (13.6 %) for turmeric. The antibacterial activity of the essential oils against gram-positive and gram-negative strains was determined in vitro by the modified agar diffusion method. The Staphylococcus aureus strain was found to be the most sensitive microorganism. Conclusions: determination was made of the components of each essential oil. Despite the fact that they were collected in 3 different months of the year, their chemical composition remained unaltered. The physical properties found in each oil were compared with those reported by previous studies. The oils inhibit the Staphylococcus aureus bacterial strain in a considerable proportion.

Palabras clave : antibacterial activity; essential oils; rosemary; turmeric; thyme.

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