Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of the Essential Oil from the Peel of Shatian Pummelo ( Citrus Grandis Osbeck)

The chemical composition of the essential oil obtained from the peel of Shatian pummelo was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Twenty-one components were identified. The monoterpenes and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons were the principal compound groups with 96.64% (w/w) of the total oil, among which, limonene was observed dominant (89.96 ± 1.64%), followed by β-myrcene (4.49 ± 0.38%), α-pinene (0.63 ± 0.05%), 3-carene (0.48 ± 0.04%), caryophyllene (0.47 ± 0.04%), and other minor constitutes. Esters, alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, and ether represented 3.15% of the total oil. Results by the disc diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration determination method showed that the essential oil contained a wide-spectrum antimicrobial activity against Penicillium chrysogenum ATCC 10106, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 21616, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, with their inhibition zones ranging from 8.27 ± 1.07 mm to 20.71 ± 1.50 mm. The MIC values were ranging from 4.69 to 37.50 μL/mL. However, no inhibition effect was observed on the Aspergillus niger ATCC 16888.