beta-Pinene Rich Seed Essential Oil of Zingiber chrysanthum Roscoe (Zingiberaceae) from Kumaun Lesser Himalaya, Uttarakhand and Its Biological Activities

Zingiber chrysanthum Roscoe is a traditional medicinal plant species sparsely occurring in Kumaun Lesser Himalaya, Uttarakhand. Seeds of this species were collected from wild populations and essential oil was extracted. This essential oil was phytochemically analyzed by GC/MS and various biological activities viz: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial were also performed using standard protocols. More than 92 compounds were identified from essential oil of the seed. beta-pinene (36.3 %) is identified as major product of the oil followed by alpha-pinene (9.3 %), limonene (5.4 %), gamma-terpinene (5.0 %), (E)-caryophyllene (4.0 %), alpha-terpineol (3.6 %) and terpenin-4-ol (3.2 %) suggesting a greater efficacy of plant in flavor, decorative and non decorative cosmetic industry. The essential oil showed strong antioxidant activity in terms of DPPH (IC50=10.81 +/- 0.03 mu L/mL), metal chelating (IC50 = 16.84 +/- 0.46 mu L/mL) and reducing power activity (RP50 = 15.55 +/- 0.02 mu L/mL). Anti-inflammatory activity in terms of protein denaturation (IB50=16.76 +/- 0.00 mu L/mL) and a moderate antibacterial activity was also reported against the bacterial strains E. coli and S. aureus by the Z. chrysanthum seed essential oil.