Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils and Extracts of Two Varieties of Turnip (Brassica rapa) Root and Leaves in Fars-Iran

The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition of essential oil (EO) and antimicrobial activity of essential oils and extracts of two varieties of Turnip (Brassica rapa) root and leaves in Fars-Iran. The EO oil was obtained by hydro-distillation and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) which revealed 16 compounds in which methyl chavicol, transanethole, linalool and α-pinene were the main components. The antimicrobial activity was measured by disk-diffusion and micro-dilution method for determination of MIC and MBC. The highest inhibition zone was recorded against Staphylococcus aureus (33±2 mm) for EO of leaves from shirazi Turnip. The highest MIC (S.aureus and Bacillus cereus = 0.312 mg/ml) and MBC (S. aureus=0.625 mg/ml) values were detected for Shirazi Turnip leaves. Results presented suggest that the EOs and extract of turnip root and leaves possess antibacterial properties and potential application in food industry.