Evaluation of Citrus reticulata essential oil: Chemical composition and antibacterial effectiveness incorporated gelatin on E. coli and S. aureus

In the present study, we evaluated the antibacterial activity of Citrus reticulata (C. reticulata) essential oil-incorporated gelatin film solution against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of C. reticulata essential oil (CrEO) on E. coli and S. aureus were found to be 10.1 and 9.1 mg mL(-1), respectively, using spectrophotometric microdilution technique. The antimicrobial effect of CrEO alone and incorporated gelatin-based film solutions (CrEO-F) against these pathogens were determined by the disc diffusion method. While the inhibition zones of CrEO were 2.4 mm and 10.05 mm, CrEO-F was reported as 1.5 and 7.8 mm against E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. These findings demonstrated that the CrEO can compete with coating agents with antimicrobial additives and it can find a place in the application areas. Besides, the chemical composition of the CrEO was determined by GC-MS.

Automated summary

The study evaluated the antibacterial activity of Citrus reticulata essential oil-incorporated gelatin film solution against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, demonstrating its effectiveness in inhibiting the growth of these pathogens. The findings also showed that the gelatin-based film solution with the essential oil had better inhibitory effects compared to the essential oil alone, as determined by disc diffusion method and MIC values analysis.