Chemical composition and antimicrobial studies of the essential oils of Jatropha integerrima Jacq (Leaf and Seeds)

Abstract

The chemical composition of the essential oils of the leaves and seeds of Jatropha integerrima was investigated by GC and GC-MS. The results showed significant variation in the chemical constituents of the tissue/parts analyzed. The leaf has pentadecanal (32.4%), 1,8-cineole (11.2%) and β-ionone (10.8%) as the major components. On the other hand, the seed oil is comprised mainly of aliphatic hydrocarbons represented by pentacosane (13.6%), hexacosane (13.3%), octacosane (12.3%) and heptacosane (10.1%). However, the defatted seed oil was predominantly made up of the monoterpenes 1,8-cineole (35.5%), p-cymene (20.5%) and α-pinene (16.5%). The oils displayed weak antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus.