TLC-bioautography identification and GC-MS analysis of antimicrobial and antioxidant active compounds in Musa x paradisiaca L. fruit pulp essential oil

Introduction The absence of microbial growth and resistance to oxidative deterioration in fruits of Musa x paradisiaca L. (bananas) is an indication of the presence of antimicrobial and antioxidant metabolites. Objective In order to investigate the secondary metabolomic spectrum as well as the active antimicrobial and antioxidants present in essential oils (EOs) from fruits of different geographical areas of M. x paradisiaca, gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) principal component data correlation analysis is complemented with antimicrobial assays and phytochemical and bioautographic antioxidant fingerprints with thin layer chromatography (TLC). Methodology An EO was obtained by steam distillation and subjected to GC-MS and TLC for metabolomic profiling from fruit pulp. The antimicrobial potential was tested in both Escherichia coli as a gram negative and Bacillus subtilis as a gram positive microbe. Potential antioxidant metabolites were identified through TLC-bioautography and GC-MS analysis of active zones. Results A maximum of 0.56% v/w EO was isolated from fruit pulps of M. x paradisiaca. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) against B. subtillis and E. coli were 0.25 and 0.35 mu g/mL, respectively. Thus, 56 metabolites were identified through GC-MS. The major abundant antimicrobial metabolites found in EOs are alpha-thujene, gamma-terpinene, alpha- and beta-pinene, sabinene, beta-myrcene, limonene, alpha-capaene, caryophyllene and (Z,E)-alpha farnesene. Aceteugenol, palmitic acid, stearic acid, palmitin, and stearin were identified as antioxidant metabolites. Principal component analysis of metabolite data reveals correlations and a clear separation based on metabolites obtained from various areas. Conclusion The data generated using metabolic profiling and cluster analysis helped to identify antimicrobial and antioxidant compounds in M. x paradisiaca.