Chemical Composition and Biological Activity of Essential Oil from cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.)

¹ Department of Tourism and Culinary Management, University of Food Technologies, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
² Department of Agrobiotechnologies Agrobioinstitute, Agricultural Academy Sofia, Bulgaria
³ Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Yambol, Bulgaria

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Bulgaria has a rich plant biodiversity, and many local species are grown and utilized within tBulgaria has a rich plant biodiversity, and many local species are grown and utilized within the food sector. In this study, a commercially available cumin essential oil was examined to assess its composition and potential relevance for food applications. GC–MS profiling revealed twenty constituents, with the predominant ones being cumin aldehyde (35.85%), p-cymene (22.88%), β-pinene (12.55%), γ-terpinene (12.99%), and α-terpinen-7-al (8.80%). The oil consisted mainly of oxygenated monoterpenes (47.21%), along with smaller proportions of monoterpene hydrocarbons (28.01%) and aromatic hydrocarbons (22.90%). Its antimicrobial activity was evaluated against four common foodborne pathogens: Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus. The oil strongly inhibited S. enterica, had moderate effects on L. monocytogenes and E. coli, and showed no inhibitory action on S. aureus. Antioxidant capacity measured by DPPH and FRAP assays reached 3948 μM TE/mL and 1876.503 μM TE/mL, respectively. Overall, the chemical and biological characteristics observed support the potential use of this oil in food products, pending further evaluation.