Exploiting the chemical composition of essential oils from Psidium cattleianum and Psidium guajava and its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties

Abstract

The genus Psidium comprises several native Brazilian plants, such as the araçá and guava trees. They are interesting sources of essential oils (EOs) that can be used as natural preservatives in foods due to their bioactive properties. This work aimed to evaluate and correlate the biological properties of the EOs from araçá and guava leaves with their chemical compounds. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used to determine the chemical composition of EOs. The antimicrobial activity was tested against 16 foodborne pathogens and the antioxidant capacity was determined by ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP assays. The major compounds identified in the essential oil of araçá (EOA) were β-caryophyllene and β-elemene, representing 38.69% and 7.47%, respectively, whereas β-selinene (13.83%), α-humulene (10.90%), and βcaryophyllene (7.61%) were the major compounds identified in the essential oil of guava (EOG). Both EOs showed activity against Salmonella Enteritidis, with MIC being 1.41 µg/ml for the EOA and 1.37 µg/ml for the EOG. The EOA was more effective than the EOG against strains of Listeria monocytogenes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, with the MIC being 1.41 µg/ml. The EOA showed 10.43, 12.35, and 3.92 µmol TE/ml at 90 µg/ml whereas the EOG showed 4.54, 8.94, and 3.43 µmol TE/ml at 88 µg/ml for ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP, respectively. Thus, the EOs demonstrated an effective action against foodborne pathogens and free radicals, indicative of their potential use as natural preservatives for foods.Practical Application: Guava and araçá are native Brazilian plants producers of essential oils, natural compounds with antimicrobial and antioxidant potential. The chemical composition of essential oils is responsible for its beneficial properties. The results demonstrated that the essential oils studied are rich in β-caryophyllene and has excellent activity against malefic microorganisms and free radicals, and can also be used as natural preservatives in foods.

Essential oils of Psidium cattleianum Sabine leaves and flowers: Anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activities

“…On the other hand, only one report was conducted on the EOs from Egyptian species ( Soliman et al, 2016 ). The relevant literature stated that the EOs derived from P. cattleianum leaves possessed significant in vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities ( Castro et al, 2015 ; Chrystal et al, 2020 ; de Souza et al, 2021 ). To the best of our knowledge, no prior study has investigated the volatile metabolites from the flowers; hence, it is interesting to investigate the chemical nature of its derived EOs in comparison with those obtained from the leaves, in an attempt, to discover a new active essential oil-based remedy for the management of cancer and inflammatory disorders.…”

Chemical and Biochemical Characterization of Essential Oils and Their Corresponding Hydrolats from Six Species of the Lamiaceae Family

“…The data suggested that using the ABTS •+ assay, we obtained higher values of the antioxidant activity of EOs and HDs compared to DPPH • assay. The different values of the antioxidant activity measured for the same sample (EO or HD) could be explained by the different mechanisms involved in the reactions of radical antioxidant and sample compounds [62,63].…”

Psidium guajava L.: From byproduct and use in traditional Mexican medicine to antimicrobial agent

“…On the other hand, several authors have reported that the main component of the extracts or essential oils of guava leaves is β-Caryophyllene ( 45 , 49 , 50 ), which has recently gained attention due to its potential application for the treatment of various disorders such as cancer, chronic pain, and inflammation ( 51 ). In addition, many of the plant extracts where β-Caryophyllene is found have antimicrobial effects, notwithstanding the role that this compound plays in said activity is still unclear.…”

“…On the other hand, the proposed mode of action of β-caryophyllene, a bicyclic sesquiterpene considered by multiple authors as the main component of guava leaf extract ( 45 , 49 , 50 ), is through altering the bacterial membrane permeability and causing non-selective pore formation. This induces the intracellular content leakage leading to damage and loss of the membrane integrity and may eventually lead to cell death ( 52 ).…”