Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Iranian mooseer (Allium hirtifolium Boiss) populations

Mooseer or Persian shallot is a bulbous perennial herb belonging to the Alliaceae family. Antioxidant activities of 12 mooseer populations were determined using three assays including DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS. Antioxidant activities differed among all populations with the Sahneh and Nahavand population as the highest and the lowest, respectively. Antimicrobial activity of mooseer extracts were tested against six bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae and two fungi including Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae by disc diffusion method by determining their minimum inhibitory concentration values with all samples indicating moderate to high antimicrobial activity. For antimicrobial activity, Esfahan population showed the highest inhibitory effect on bacteria and fungi. According to the results of the study, mooseer has potential as a valuable dietary supplement.