Chemical Composition and Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Activity of the Essential Oils from Fruits of Morinda lucida

The essential oils (EOs) obtained by hydro-distillation of fruits of Morinda lucida (Rubiaceae) growing in Cote d'Ivoire were investigated. The oil was analyzed and characterized by GC and GC-MS. Analyses of the EOs led to the identification and quantification of 45 constituents. Characterization of the EOs revealed the predominance of (E)-phytol (14.80 %) and n-octanol (6.19 %) followed by beta-caryophyllene (5.54 %) and 6,10,14-trimethyl pentandecan-2-one (5.48 %). The antibacterial activity of EOs from M.lucida was tested against three bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using a disc-diffusion method and the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values determined. The inhibition zones and MIC values were in the range of 11.6 to 24.3 mm and 32 to 256 mu g/mL, respectively. The EOs showed good antibacterial activity against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. The volatile oils extracted from M lucida exhibited a higher activity than the antibiotics tested on P aeruginosa.