Chemical constituents, in vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of essential oil from the fruit pulp of wood apple

The fruit pulp essential oil of wood apple (Feronia limonia) was studied for its chemical constituents, in vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Totally, 50 constituents were identified by GC and GC–MS analyses and thymol (52.22%) was identified as the major chemical compound. The antioxidant activity showed that the essential oil had good scavenging potential viz. DPPH radical (IC50 = 41.35 μg/ml), H2O2 (IC50 = 45.49 μg/ml), O2−(IC50 = 30.86 μg/ml), OH (IC50 = 25.05 μg/ml) and ABTS+ (IC50 = 30.28 μg/ml). The antimicrobial activity showed that Staphylococcus aureus (26.2 ± 1.32 mm; MIC = 31.25 μg/mL) and Bacillus cereus (24.6 ± 1.15 mm; MIC = 62.5 μg/mL) were the most sensitive organisms and also moderate activity was recorded against all the fungal strains tested. The present study suggests that the wood apple essential oil can be considered as a new and potential source of natural antioxidant and antimicrobial agent.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► Biological activities of essential oil from the fruit pulp of wood apple were studied. ► Thymol was identified as the major chemical constituent. ► The essential oil showed good antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. ► The essential oil of wood apple is a new and potential source of natural bioactive agent.