Chemical Content and Antimicrobial Activities of Essential Oils Obtained from Plant Parts of Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb.

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the chemical content, antibacterial, and antifungal properties of essential oil obtained from the parts of the plant called Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb. In this study, essential oils of cone, needle, and twig of J. excelsa plant, which is a naturally grown plant in Gümüşhane province, were obtained by hydrodistillation method in a Clevenger type device. Chemical composition of essential oils was determined thanks to the analysis conducted with GC-MS/FID device. Besides, antimicrobial activity tests of essential oils were decided in contrast to 23 different microorganisms with the disc diffusion method. As a result of the essential oil analysis of J. excelsa, the percentage of essential oil yield in cones, needles, and twigs was found as 5.88 %, 2.00 %, and 0.62 %, respectively. α-pinene was confirmed to be the most abundant main compound found in the essential oils of cones, needles, and twigs. As a result of the essential oil analysis of the cone, needle, and twig of J. excelsa species, it was revealed that monoterpenes were the most abundant chemical class in terms of percentage. In the antimicrobial activity test performed on the essential oils of J. excelsa plant parts, it was found that cones, needles, and twigs have a strong antimicrobial effect against Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, Penicillum expansum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae bacteria, yeast, and molds. © 2023 by the author(s).