Antimicrobial activity of essential oils extracted from Litsea cubeba

Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers. (Lauraceae), also known as May Chang tree or Chinese pepper, is frequently utilized for its essential oil, which is widely used in flavors, perfumes, and antimicrobials. Despite its myriad of uses, the stability and diversity of the various chemical components of L. cubeba oil have not been sufficiently investigated. Here, we utilized 31 families planted in a test forest. The stability of the essential oil content in each family was assessed over a four-year period. The chemical profiles of the essential oils from the 31 families were established. A total of 103 components were identified, with approximately 30 components found per family. Additionally, the antifungal and antibacterial activities were investigated, with significant variations found among families. The most abundant component was citral, which has previously been shown to possess antifungal activities. In addition, inhibition rates, EC50, and MIC values were measured, and the F7, G3, G4, and F9 families were found to manifest significantly stronger antifungal activity, with inhibition rates above 91% at a concentration of 250 µL/L. The F7, G3, G4, and L24 families possessed strong antibacterial activity on gram-negative bacteria at a concentration of 50 µL/mL. In summary, we assessed the chemical profiles of L. cubeba essential oil for different families and found that there were significant differences in essential oil components and antibacterial activities among families. Our results suggest that L. cubeba families can be further selected to improve their industrial applications and increase the quality of essential oils extracted from them.