Chemical Composition, Antioxidant Potential, and Antimicrobial Activity of Elettaria cardamomum Essential Oil

The aim of this study was to investigate chemical composition, antioxidant potential, and antimicrobial activity of cardamom essential oil against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae species.

The chemical compositions of cardamom essential oil were identified by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) device. Cardamom essential oil antioxidant activity was measured by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, and its total phenolic compounds (TPC) were measured by Folin–Ciocalteu reagent. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of cardamom essential oil were determined using the serial-dilution method.

According to the GC-MS analysis results, 17 compounds were totally identified in cardamom essential oil, among which the most important compounds were 1, 8-cineole (36.74%) and α-terpinyl acetate (33.07%). MICs obtained for S. aureus, E. coli, and S. cerevisiae were 12.50, 25.00, and 1.56 mg/mL, respectively. Also, MBC obtained for both S. aureus and E. coli was 25 mg/mL, while MBC for S. cerevisiae was 3.36 mg/mL. Antioxidant activity measurement results showed that increasing the amount of cardamom essential oil reduced the amount of color and absorbance of DPPH solution to 517 nm. The results also showed that the amount of TPC in cardamom essential oil was 214.35 mg gallic acid per 100 g of dry material.

Cardamom essential oil used in this study showed antibacterial and anti-yeast activities against S. aureus, E. coli, and S. cerevisiae species. Antimicrobial effects of cardamom essential oil were predictable due to the presence of antimicrobial components in this oil.