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Abstract
The antibacterial potential of essential oils and methanol extracts of sweet basil Ocimum basilicum L. (Lamiaceae) was evaluated for controlling the growth range of food-borne pathogenic bacteria. Essential oils extracted by hydrodistillation from the leaves and stems were analyzed by GC-MS. Fifty-seven compounds representing 94.9 and 96.1% of the total leaf and stem oils, respectively, were identified, of which methyl chavicol (36.7 and 29.9%), gitoxigenin (9.3 and 10.2%), trimethoquinol (10.3 and 8.4%), β-guaiene (3.7 and 4.1%), aciphyllene (3.4 and 3.0%), alizarin (3.2 and 4.4%), naphthaline (2.2 and 3.8%), (–)-caryophyllene (2.0 and 1.9%), and mequinol (1.6 and 1.8%) were the major compounds. The essential oils (10 μL/disc of 1:5, v/v dilution with methanol) and methanol extracts (300 μg/disc) of O. basilicum displayed a great potential of antibacterial activity against Bacillius cereus, B. subtilis, B. megaterium, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Shigella boydii, S. dysenteriae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, V. mimicus, and Salmonella typhi with their respective zones of inhibition of 11.2–21.1 mm and MIC values of 62.5–500 μg/mL. The results of this study suggest that the natural products derived from O. basilicum may have potential use in the food and/or pharmaceutical industries as antimicrobial agents.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to M. Ali, Head, Chemistry Division, Atomic Energy Centre, Dhaka, Bangladesh for her constant encouragement and helpful suggestions. They are also grateful to Mr. Zahidul Islam and Mr. Ayub Ali for their help to preparation the sweet basil Ocimum basilicum samples.
Declaration of interest
The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.