GC/MS Profiling and Antibacterial Activity of Steam-Distilled Solanecio mannii Essential Oil and Hydrosol Against Multidrug-Resistant Food Pathogens

Solanecio mannii is a fast-growing woody shrub of up to 10 m in height of the Asteraceae family. This study aimed to identify the chemical constituents of steam-distilled oil and hydrosol of Solanecio mannii leaves and determine their activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Steam distillation extraction followed by GC/MS analysis was employed to characterize the chemical composition, while the antimicrobial effectiveness was assed using disc diffusion method at 10 µL sample volumes. GC/MS analysis revealed 52 compounds in the essential oil predominantly monoterpenes (48%) and sesquiterpenes (38.5%), and 28 compounds in the hydrosol, consisting mainly of fatty acid methyl esters (28.57%) and other heteroatomic compounds (67.86%). The essential oils demonstrated significant activity against both E. coli (12 mm) and S. aureus (10 mm) for the oil and 10 mm and 8 mm for the hydrosol respectively. The findings emphasize the potential of S. mannii essential oil and hydrosol as clean label agents for food industry applications, particularly in active packaging systems.