GC-MS analysis and antimicrobial activities of a Rosmarinus officinalis L. essential oil from Kashan Region (Iran)

Abstract

Background The essential oil (EO) from Rosmarinus officinalis L. gains attention as preservative in food and pharmaceutical industry. As specialized metabolites biosynthesis is mostly affected by abiotic factors (e.g. climate, temperature, light, etc.), our efforts have been devoted to study was the chemical composition and the antimicrobial activity of the EO from R. officinalis in Kashan, Iran. Results Twenty-nine components were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The main compounds included α-pinene (19.41%), 1,8-cineole (15.40%), camphor (8.87%), borneol (8.48%) and verbenone (8.8%). The studied EO was active against Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Based on MIC values, the inhibitory effect against Pseudomonas aeruginosa was higher than that of rifampin. Conclusions The antimicrobial activity of rosemary EO from Kashan Region (Iran) encourages its cultivation among local farmers to promote a local production.