Antimicrobial activity of cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) essential oil and its main components against Paenibacillus larvae

GENDE, LIESEL; FLORIS, IGNAZIO; FRITZ, ROSALIA; EGUARAS, MARTIN

Bulletin of insectology

Año: 2008 vol. 61 p. 1 - 4

The physicochemical properties, composition and antimicrobial activity of cinnamon essential oil (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) were studied. The bioactivity of this essential oil against Paenibacillus larvae was analyzed by means of a combination of in vitro techniques, such as the tube dilution method and bioautography, a method employed to localize antibacterial activity on a chromatogram. Cinnamaldehyde and eugenol proved to have antibacterial effects against P. larvae. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericide concentration (MBC) for C. zeylanicum essential oil were between 25-100 ìg/ml and 125-250 ìg/ml, respectively, for all strains. Essential oil and, especially, two of its main components presented inhibitory capacity against strains of P. larvae.