Chemical composition, antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal properties of essential oil from wild Heracleum rawianum

With increasing concerns about the abuse of chemical additives in food industries, the application of natural antimicrobial compounds is gaining considerable attention. This study aimed to investigate chemical composition, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activity of Heracleum rawianum fruit's essential oil (EO). The GC-MS analysis resulted in the identification of 41 compounds. Antioxidant activity using the FRAP assay and the IC50 using the DPPH method were 0.49 mu mol/g and 105.78 mu g/mL, respectively. The amount of total phenolic compounds was 275.72 mu g GAE/100 g dry weight (DW). Antimicrobial activity of the EO against different pathogens showed that the highest (15.6 mm) and lowest (10.3 mm) inhibition zones were obtained for Candida albicans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was between 260 and 625 mu g/mL, and the minimum microbicidal concentration (MMC) was from 520.67 to 1250 mu g/mL for different strains. Overall, results demonstrated that H. rawianum EO has suitable potential for use in related industries.