Antioxidant and antibacterial activity of essential oil and extracts of bay laurel Laurus nobilis Linnaeus (Lauraceae) from Portugal

C. Ramos, B. Teixeira, I. Batista, O. Matos, C. Serrano, N. R. Neng, J. M.F. Nogueira, M. L. Nunes, A. Marques

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

89 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Laurus nobilis L. is an aromatic plant frequently used as a spice in Mediterranean cookery and as a traditional medicine for the treatment of several infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to characterise the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of bay laurel essential oil (EO), ethanolic extract (EE) and hot/cold aqueous extract (AE). The major components detected in bay laurel EO were eucalyptol (27.2%), α-terpinenyl acetate (10.2%), linalool (8.4%), methyleugenol (5.4%), sabinene (4.0%) and carvacrol (3.2%). The EO exhibited strong antibacterial activity against all tested foodborne spoilage and pathogenic bacteria, whereas this activity was less pronounced or even nonexistent in the EE and AE. In contrast, EO exhibited low antioxidant activity compared to extracts (EX), and among the EX, the hot AE revealed the highest antioxidant ability. The results show that bay laurel EO and its EX have potential as natural alternatives to synthetic food preservatives, in order to enhance food safety and increase food shelf life.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)518-529
Number of pages12
JournalNatural Product Research
Volume26
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2012
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Antimicrobial activity
  • Antioxidant activity
  • Bay laurel
  • Essential oil
  • Ethanol and aqueous extract
  • Laurus nobilis

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Antioxidant and antibacterial activity of essential oil and extracts of bay laurel Laurus nobilis Linnaeus (Lauraceae) from Portugal'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this