Phytochemical, antioxidant and antibacterial study of essential oils of the leaves and fruits of Juniperus Phoenicea

Abstract

Extracts from aromatic and medicinal plants contain a variety of phenolic compounds as well as essential oils (EOs) which are believed to have antioxidant and microorganism inhibiting activities.

Essential oils of leaves and fruits of Juniperus Phoenicea collected in the region of Midelt (Morocco) were obtained by the technique of hydrodistillation and analyzed by Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS).

The yield of essential oil is variable depending on the part of the plant studied; it is 0.5% for leaves and 0.14% for fruits. The main compounds of the essential oil of the leaves are α- pinene, Caryophyllene and β- phellandrene while the EO of the fruits is largely dominated by α- pinene.

These EOs have a marked antioxidant activity but still remains lower than that of the decocted leaves and fruits of the same plant studied, this activity measured by the DPPH method. 

An antibacterial activity of these EOs was also demonstrated by the aromatogram method, with a strong inhibitory activity for the fruit EO compared to that of the leaves.