Antioxidant and antibacterial activity of essential oil from Pinus koraiensis needles

Taking essential oil from Pinus koraiensis needles as the research object, its antioxidant and antimicrobial activities were evaluated. The antioxidant activity of the essential oil was explored with DPPH free radicals, ABTS free radicals, super-oxide anion free radical (O₂^-·) and total reducing power as indicators. Antibacterial activity of the essential oil was studied with Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus as the test strain against typical food-borne microorganisms, with minimum inhibitory concentration. Pine needle essential oil showed remarkable antioxidant activity in scavenging DPPH free radical, ABTS free radicals, super-oxide anion free radical (O₂^-·), and in reducing power assays. Essential oils of half of the clearance IC₅₀ value concentration were 4.24, 4.46, 3.26 mg/mL. The diameters of Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus inhibition zone were (15.20±0.12) mm, (13.30±0.15) mm, and (9.50±0.21) mm, and the minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC) was 1.26, 2.50, and 5.00 μL/mL. These results suggest that the essential oil from pine needles has potential to be used as a natural antioxidant and antimicrobial agent in food processing.