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Abstract. Patil SD, Maknikar PP, Wankhade SJ, Ukesh CS, Rai MK. 2016. Chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of essential oils from cumin and ajowan. Nusantara Bioscience 8: 60-65. Plant essential oils have gained importance as alternative remedies for treatment of many infectious diseases and food preservatives. In the present study, we have determined the chemical composition of the essential oils (EOs) from two Indian spices Cuminum cyminum (cumin) and Trachyspermum ammi (ajowan) of family Apiaceae by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Moreover, the antimicrobial potential of these oils was evaluated against several Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria using disc diffusion and broth microdilution methods. A Total of 20 major chemical components were analyzed by GC-MS studies and were found to be cuminaldehyde (36.67%) and caren-10-al (21.34%) in case of cumin essential oil while p-cymene (15.54%) and thymol (15.48%) were found to be present in ajowan essential oil. Both the EOs exhibited potent antibacterial effect against most of the tested pathogens. Furthermore, cumin and ajowan EOs demonstrated remarkable antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi with an inhibition zone diameter of 54 and 60 mm respectively with identical MIC value of 12.5 µl/ml. Ajowan EO was found to exhibit wide spectrum activity against both the Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms when compared with cumin. Both the essential oils were more potent than standard antibiotic chloramphenicol except cumin against Escherichia coli and Enterobacter aerogenes. Antioxidant activity of cumin was weaker (12.36%) and ajowan was stronger (71.68%) than standard ascorbic acid (20.24%) at 1000 µg/ml concentration when assessed by DPPH radical scavenging assay. Our study suggests that, spice essential oils have significant potential in controlling the human and foodborne pathogens.

Abstract. Patil S, Maknikar P, Wankhade S, Ukesh C, Rai M. 2015. Antifungal effect of cumin essential oil alone and in combination with antifungal drugs. Nusantara Bioscience 7: 55-59. We report evaluation of antifungal activity of cumin seed oil and its pharmacological interactions when used in combination with some of the widely used conventional antifungal drugs using CLSI broth microdilution, agar disc diffusion and checkerboard microtitre assay against Candida. The essential oil was obtained from cumin seeds using hydrodistillation technique and was later evaluated for the presence of major chemical constituents present in it using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) assay. The GC-MS assay revealed the abundance of γ-terpinene (35.42%) followed by p-cymene (30.72%). The agar disc diffusion assay demonstrated highly potent antifungal effect against Candida species. Moreover, the combination of cumin essential oil (CEO) with conventional antifungal drugs was found to reduce the individual MIC of antifungal drug suggesting the occurrence of synergistic interactions. Therefore, the therapy involving combinations of CEO and conventional antifungal drugs can be used for reducing the toxicity induced by antifungal drugs and at the same time enhancing their antifungal efficacy in controlling the infections caused due to Candida species.

Biosurfactants are diverse groups of surface active molecules synthesized by microorganisms which help in stabilizing emulsion, enhancing foaming and reducing surface tension. In this study, six soil samples were collected from pesticide and oil contaminated sites. Each sample was enriched in mineral salt medium then serially diluted and pour plated in the nutrient agar plates. A total of 32 morphologically distinct isolates were isolated in pure form from soil samples which were screened for the purpose of biosurfactant production. To confirm and compare the ability of isolates in biosurfactant production from different sources, different screening methods including foaming, emulsification index E24, drop collapse method and oil spreading test were assessed. Curd whey was used as a low cost growth medium for biosurfactant producing organisms. Kocuria rosea from pesticide contaminated soil and Micrococcus luteus/ lylae from oil contaminated soil sample were potent biosurfactant producers which were furthermore identified. Kocuria rosea showed highest emulsification index and prominent zone for oil spreading assay as compared to Micrococcus luteus/ lylae which suggested that biosurfactant producers isolated from pesticide contaminated soil sample have higher potency than biosurfactant producers isolated from oil contaminated soil sample.

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