Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties of the Essential Oil and Extracts of Zanthoxylum alatum Grown in North-Western Himalaya

The essential oil obtained from the fresh leaves of Zanthoxylum alatum was analysed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Fourteen components were identified, and linalool (30.58%), 2-decanone (20.85%), beta-fenchol (9.43%), 2-tridecanone (8.86%), beta-phellandrene (5.99%), Sabinene (4.82%), and alpha-pinene (4.11%) were the main components. The EO and methanolic extract of Z. alatumexhibited potent antifungal activity againstAlternaria alternata, Alternaria brassicae, andCurvularia lunata. The EO also showed significant antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli. Further, antimicrobial constituents of the EO were isolated by bioautography and preparative thin layer chromatography (PTLC) and identified as beta-fenchol and linalool using GC/MS analysis. In addition to this, the free radical scavenging activity and antioxidant potential of EO andmethanolic extract/fractions of Z. alatum were also investigated using in vitro assays including scavenging ability against DPPH center dot, reducing power and chelating ability on Fe2+ ions. Our results demonstrate that Z. alatum could be used as a resource of antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds which may find applications in food and pesticide industries.