Antimicrobial Activity of Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis L.) Leaf Essential Oils Against Three Bacterial Species

Abstract

The yield of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) essential oils was investigated. The chemical analysis of essential oils was carried out using gas chromatography-Mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The major contents of rosemary leaf essential oils were; camphor (20.54%), cineole (13.40%), verbenone (12.71%), bornyl acetate (12.22%), carene (7.73%), camphene (4.32%), α-pinene (2.28%) and β-pinene (1.77%). Biological activity of essential oils was examined against three bacterial species (Bacillus cereus, Escheritia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa), essential oils were effective against all tested bacteria. The MIC values were 16 µg/ml for B. cereus, 32 µg/ml for E. coli and 64 µg/ml for P. aeruginosa. However, P. aeruginosa showed weak sensitivity to the oil.