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. 2014 Dec 1;19(12):20034-53.
doi: 10.3390/molecules191220034.

Chemical composition, antibacterial and antioxidant activities of six essentials oils from the Alliaceae family

Dima Mnayer  1 , Anne-Sylvie Fabiano-Tixier  2 , Emmanuel Petitcolas  3 , Tayssir Hamieh  4 , Nancy Nehme  5 , Christine Ferrant  6 , Xavier Fernandez  7 , Farid Chemat  8
Affiliations

Chemical composition, antibacterial and antioxidant activities of six essentials oils from the Alliaceae family

Dima Mnayer et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Six essential oils (EOs) from the Alliaceae family, namely garlic (Allium sativum), onion (Allium cepa), leek (Allium porrum), Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum), shallot (Allium ascalonicum) and chive (Allium schoenoprasum) were characterized by GC and GC-MS and evaluated for their functional food properties. Antibacterial properties were tested on five food-borne pathogens: Two Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Listeria monocytogenes (ATCC 19115) and three Gram-negative Salmonella Typhimurium (ATCC 14028), Escherichia coli (ATCC 8739) and Campylobacter jejuni (ATCC 33291) bacteria. Antioxidant and radical-scavenging properties were tested by means of Folin-Ciocalteu and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. Garlic, Chinese chive and onion EOs had the highest antibacterial activity whereas shallot and leek EOs were the strongest antioxidants. Heating caused a decrease in the antioxidant activity of these Eos, as shown in the Total Polar Materials (TPM) test. Suggestions on relationships between chemical composition and biological activities are presented. Results show that the EOs could be of value in the food industry as alternatives to synthetic antioxidants.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Structure of major compounds of the essential oils of garlic, onion, leek, Chinese chive, shallot and chive.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Extraction of essential oils by turbo hydrodistillation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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