ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF PEPPERMINT, BASIL AND ROSEMARY ESSENTIAL OILS OBTAINED BY STEAM DISTILLATION

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present the antibacterial activity of peppermint, basil and rosemary essential oils obtained by steam distillation after the preservation period using various methods. The processing methods used for the plant materials were natural drying, freezing and gamma ray irradiation. The oils were extracted after certain preservation periods from Mentha piperita, Ocimum basilicum and Rosmarinus officinalis aromatic plant materials. The antibacterial activity of the studied essential oils was assessed against 8 bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus viridans, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Serratia marcescens). Antibacterial activity of the essential oils was investigated using disc diffusion method. The results showed that the antibacterial activity depends on the type of aromatic plant and the type of used preservation methods. The most active essential oils against the tested bacteria were, in descending order rosemary, peppermint and basil.