Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of the Essential Oil of Kumquat (Fortunella crassifolia Swingle) Peel

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Yong-Wei Wang¹  Wei-Cai Zeng²  Pei-Yu Xu¹  Ya-Jia Lan¹  Rui-Xue Zhu²  Kai Zhong²  Yi-Na Huang¹ 

[1] Department of Public Health, Hua Xi Medicinal Center of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China; E-Mails:;College of Light Industry, Textile and Food Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China; E-Mails:

关键词: Fortunella crassifolia;    essential oil;    chemical composition;    food-borne bacteria;    antimicrobial activity;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms13033382

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The aim of this study was to determine the main constituents of the essential oil isolated from Fortunella crassifolia Swingle peel by hydro-distillation, and to test the efficacy of the essential oil on antimicrobial activity. Twenty-five components, representing 92.36% of the total oil, were identified by GC-MS analysis. The essential oil showed potent antimicrobial activity against both Gram-negative (E. coli and S. typhimurium) and Gram-positive (S. aureus, B. cereus, B. subtilis, L. bulgaricus, and B. laterosporus) bacteria, together with a remarkable antifungal activity against C. albicans. In a food model of beef extract, the essential oil was observed to possess an effective capacity to control the total counts of viable bacteria. Furthermore, the essential oil showed strongly detrimental effects on the growth and morphological structure of the tested bacteria. It was suggested that the essential oil from Fortunella crassifolia Swingle peel might be used as a natural food preservative against bacteria or fungus in the food industry.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2012 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland.