Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of the Essential Oil from Qiancao (<i>Rubia cordifolia </i>Linn.) Roots against Selected Foodborne Pathogens

Authors

  • Wei-Qin Li School of Food Sciences, Shanxi Normal University, Linfen
  • Mei-Ping Quan
  • Qin Li

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24203/ajafs.v7i4.5876

Keywords:

Rubia cordifolia, chemical composition, antimicrobial activity, essential oil

Abstract

Chemical composition of the essential oil from Qiancao roots was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and 43 components were identified in the paper. Mollugin (30.58%) was found to be the major component, followed by 3-methyl-2-cyclopenten-1-one (10.55%), 4-tert-butyl-2-phenyl-phenol (8.64%) and eugenol (6.30%). The antibacterial activity of essential oil against selected food-borne pathogens was evaluated. The results showed that the sensitivity to essential oil were different for different tested bacteria and the essential oil had a strong antibacterial activity against B. cereus with the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericide concentration (MBC) values of 0.0625 and 0.125 mg/mL, respectively. In addition, microbial growth curve assay also showed that the essential oil had a significant effect on the growth rate of surviving B. cereus. The data of this study suggests that the essential oil from Qiancao roots has great potential for application as a natural antimicrobial agent to preserve food.

References

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Published

2019-08-23

How to Cite

Li, W.-Q., Quan, M.-P., & Li, Q. (2019). Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of the Essential Oil from Qiancao (<i>Rubia cordifolia </i>Linn.) Roots against Selected Foodborne Pathogens. Asian Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.24203/ajafs.v7i4.5876

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