Chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of Schinus molle essential oil from Palapye

Abstract

Plants have been a source of medical relief for diseases and ailments for millennia, and among this large list of medicinal plants includes the Peruvian pepper tree (Schinus molle). This species produces various compounds with antibacterial properties, such as alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, and terpenes. This study was aimed at investigating the chemical composition, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activity of S. molle essential oil extracts collected from Palapye on bacterial and yeast colonies as a means to determine the antimicrobial efficacy. Fruit and leaf essential oils of S. molle were extracted using ultrasonic assisted hydrodistillation. Using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), 19 compounds were identified from fruit essential oil while only two were identified from the leaf essential oil. Antioxidant activity measured by 2,2- diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2’-azino-bis 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and total phenolic content (TPC) showed significantly higher antioxidant activity in the fruit essential oil as compared to the leaf counterpart. Furthermore, antimicrobial activity of the essential oils was determined against bacterial colonies of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and the fungi C. albicans using agar disc diffusion assay. Our results showed one-third efficacy against bacteria as compared to the commercial broad spectrum antibiotic Gentamicin, while there was no antibiotic activity observed against the fungi.