Chemistry and bacteriostatic activity of the essential oil and major isolates from the fruit rind of Citrus paradisi Macfad

Abstract

The volatile principles from the fruit rind of Citrus paradisi Macfad were extracted produced using two models: Clevenger and Soxhlet, to yield 2.6 and 9.3 % v/w respectively. The essential oil produced via Clevenger equipment was chemically characterized with GC-MS and it revealed the presence of twenty four (24) isolates among which the monocyclic monoterpene (-)-Limonene (91.1 %) was found to be the chief element in the oil. The activities of the oils extracted through the two models and their major constituents against a wide species of clinical bacteria isolates were studied. Gram positive bacteria were found to be more sensitive than the gram negative species used. The oil produced from Clevenger (OPC) and (-)-Limonene were the most active with MIC of 62 μg/mL against Bacillus subtilis. However, the oil produced from Soxhlet (OPS) had an MIC of 1000 μg/mL against the same species. The oils were not active against Micrococcus luteus and P. aeruginosa. The results obtained in this study have justified the uses of Citrus paradisi Macfad in traditional medicinal practices for the treatment of skin related ailments as well as gastrointestinal disorders.

Key words: Citrus paradisi, bacteriostatic activity, isolates, essential oil, fruit rind.

Journal of Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences Vol.2(2) 2005: 219-225