Essential oil composition and antimicrobial activity of Sphallerocarpus gracilis seeds against selected food-related bacteria

Sphallerocarpus gracilis from China is a little-investigated edible and medicinal plant. In the present study, the essential oil composition from S. gracilis seeds was investigated by GC and GC–MS. A total of 34 compounds representing 94.69% of the essential oil were tentatively identified. The main constituents were p-cymene (17.42%), γ-terpinene (25.58%) and α-asarone (33.12%). The antimicrobial activity, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the essential oil from S. gracilis seeds were evaluated against eight Gram-positive bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus coagulans and Bacillus subtilis), four Gram-negative bacteria (Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella typhimurium, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli) and one fungus (Aspergillus niger). Results revealed that the essential oil from S. gracilis seeds exhibited significant in vitro antimicrobial property. Among all the tested microorganisms, the essential oil showed the strongest inhibitory effect against K. pneumoniae, whereas no inhibitory effect was found against L. monocytogenes and A. niger. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe morphological changes of bacteria treated with the essential oil from S. gracilis seeds. SEM observations confirmed the physical damage and considerable morphological alteration to the tested microorganisms treated with the essential oil. The data of this study suggests that the essential oil from S. gracilis seeds has great potential for application as a natural antimicrobial agent to preserve food.