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Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of the essential oil of Pinus caribaea from Nigeria
Abstract
compounds, representing 93.8% of the oil were identified. The major constituents of the essential oil were β-phellandrene (67.9%), β-caryophyllene (10.2%) and β-pinene (5.4%). High concentration of β- phellandrene in the oil suggests its usefulness as fragrance. The antibacterial activity of the essential oil was evaluated using disc diffusion method. The essential oil exhibited moderate activity against
Pseudomonas aeruginosa at minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 1000 ug/ml and no activity against Candida albican, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus typhi, Bacillus aureus and Proteus mirabilis. The antibacterial activity of the oil against P. aeruginosa suggests its potential use as a remedy for food-borne diseases.