Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Essential Oils from the Fruits of Cuminum cyminum L. and Ammodaucus leucotrichus L. (Apiaceae)

Hydrodistilled volatile oils obtained from the fruits of Cuminum cyminum L. and Ammodaucus leucotrichus L., cultivated in Morocco, were analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MS. Twenty-one compounds repre- senting 98.7 % of the oil were identified for the C. cyminum L. species. The main components of the oil were: γ- terpinen-7-al (37.2 %), cuminaldehyde (29.1 %), γ-terpinene (10.0 %), β-pinene (7.1 %) and p-cymene (6.1 %). For the Ammodaucus leucotrichus L. species, there were 21 identified compounds, representing 98.4 % of the total oil. The major constituents were perrilla aldehyde (78.2 %) and limonene (9.5 %). Isolated essential oils were tested for radical-scavenging ability using the stable DPPH radical and the ABTS radical, for reducing power ability with a test based on the reduction of ferric cations, and for lipid peroxidation inhibitory ability using β- carotene bleaching assay. The two oils showed a particularly interesting profile concerning oxidation of the fatty unsaturated substances. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oils was individually evaluated against representatives of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria using the agar diffusion method. The most sensi- tive microorganisms are: Enterococcus faecalis, Salmonella sp, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus epidermis, Citrobacter freundii and Escherichia coli.