Antibacterial Properties of Plant-Derived Essential Oils

A hydro-distillation process was developed to obtain essential oils from plants that contained antimicrobial compounds. The effectiveness of this technique was analyzed using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antibacterial properties of different essential oils were tested using a microbial challenge assay. The radii of inhibition of E. coli growth in the presence of different essential oils were recorded and compared with ampicillin. Lemongrass, cinnamon, and tea tree essential oils showed the greatest antibacterial action