BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY-BASED ASSESSMENT OF ESSENTIAL OIL EMULSIONS

The present study was focused on the formulation of clove and cumin essential oil emulsions and their potential for antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Essential oil extraction was performed using hydrodistillation technique. The % age yield of oils was found to be 8.48 and 1.99% for clove and cumin, respectively. Both oils were subjected to preparation of five emulsions of varying concentrations. The antioxidant activity was measured using DPPH-free radical scavenging assay. The highest scavenging activity was found in case of B-1 (25% clove essential oil emulsion) and A(1) (25% cumin essential oil emulsion) with IC50 values of 34.40 and 42.66 mu g/mL, respectively. Disk diffusion method was applied for screening of antimicrobial activity. Staphylococcus aureus was found to be the most sensitive bacteria with large inhibition zone against B-1 (27.66 mm) and A(1) (16.66 mm), while among fungal strains, Penicillium notatum was the most sensitive against A(1) (10.66 mm) and B-2 (9.66 mm).