Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of essential oil of a Croton rhamnifolioides leaves Pax & Hoffm

This study describes the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of an essential oil from the leaves of Croton rhamnifolioides Pax& Hoffm., an aromatic plant widely distributed in northeastern Brazil and commonly used in folk medicine. Eight components were identified: 1.8-cineole (46.32%) as the major compound, followed by 1-felandreno (16.70%), p-cymene (10.21%), sabinene (8.14%) and trans-caryophyllene (4.81%). The essential oil exhibited antibacterial activity against Aeromonas hydrophila, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Enteritidis and Staphylococcus aureus, with minimum inhibitory concentrations and minimum bactericidal concentrations ranging from 2.5 to 20 and 5 to 40 mu L.mL(-1), respectively. In addition, the essential oil also affected the cellular viability of these bacteria. The results suggest the need for research to establish the potential uses of this essential oil as a natural antimicrobial in the food industry.