Antimicrobial activity of Myrica rubra essential oil against five pathogenic food-borne bacteria

Essential oil form Myrica rubra root was investigated for their chemical compositions and antimicrobial activities against foodbone pathogens. Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) for the compound identification was used. Antimicrobial activities for the essential oil against 5 food borne pathogens were carried out by disc diffusion, microdilution agar plate and bioautography methods. Principal components of the essential oil were 5-hydroxycalamenene (74.66 %) and phytol (7.74%). This essential oil was particularly effective against Bacillus cereus and Listeria monocytogenes with minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) <= 0.004% and 0.03%(v/v), respectively. Interestingly, the antimicrobial activities of the root oil apparently were mainly correlated with its 5-hydroxycalamenene content. Given that this product has high antimicrobial activity, it might have food preservative potentials.