Volatile constituents and antimicrobial activities from flower and fruit of arbutus unedo L.

Abstract

Essential oils isolated by hydrodistillation from flower and fruit of Arbutus unedo growing in Turkey were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Forty-nine compounds, representing around 95% of the total oils were identified. Non-terpenoids hydrocarbons were shown to be the main group of constituents of the flower and fruit part of the plant in the ratio of 62.2 and 92.8%, respectively. The major component in the essential oil of the flower was ?-terpineol (16.3%) and the main compound in the essential oil of the fruit was hexadecanoic acid (21.7%). The antimicrobial activity of the isolated essential oils of the flower and fruit were also investigated and it showed moderate antibacterial activity against Listeria monocitogenes and Enterococcus faecalis.