Antioxidant, DNA damage protective, antibacterial activities and nitrite scavenging ability of essential oil of Amomum kravanh from China

Abstract

Chemical composition, in vitro antioxidant, DNA damage protective, nitrite scavenging activities, as well as antibacterial activity of Amomum kravanh fruits essential oil against several foodborne pathogens, were investigated. Results showed that the 1,8-cineole (58.53%) was found as the main component, followed by α-pinene (8.32%), α-terpinyl acetate (4.68%), α-terpinolene (4.12%), α-terpinene (3.55%), β-pinene (3.49%). The essential oil had significant antioxidant activity, the protective effect against DNA damage, and nitrite scavenging activity. These biological activities were dose-dependent, increasing with the higher dosage in a certain concentration range. The essential oil exhibited antibacterial activity against four foodborne pathogens with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 5–10 mg/mL and minimum bactericide concentration (MBC) of 10–20 mg/mL. The antibacterial effects of essential oil were greater against Gram-positive bacteria as compared to Gram-negative bacteria. These results suggested that essential oil could be available as a significant natural agent for prevention of food oxidation and spoilage.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Amomum kravanh
• essential oil
• antioxidant activity
• nitrite scavenging ability
• antibacterial activity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Province, China (project no. 201601D011070) and the Excellent Courses Project of Shanxi Normal University (project no. 2018YZKC-07).