Abstract :
The aim of this study was to examine the chemical composition of the major volatile components of bamboo leaf hydrosols and their antimicrobial activities. The chemical components were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and 45 compounds were identified from bamboo leaf hydrosols. The major volatile compounds (%) determined were ionone (16.76%), damasone (10.38%), geranylacetone (7.98%) and [beta]-ionone (6.68%). The antimicrobial activities were evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (VINTAGE WHITE and ES488). The inhibition zone and minimum inhibitory concentration test results showed that bamboo leaf hydrosols had the highest antimicrobial activity against gram-positive bacteria. The antimicrobial stability tests showed that the hydrosols also exhibited good stability under heat treatment, change in pH, and exposure to UV irradiation. Results of cell constituent release assay and atomic force microscope observations indicated that bamboo leaf hydrosols destroyed the cell wall and cell membrane permeability causing leakage of intracellular constituents. Keywords: Antimicrobial activity, Bamboo leaf hydrosols, Chemical components, Mechanism Abbreviations Used: Atomic Force Microscope, AFM; Bamboo Leaf Hydrosols, BLH; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, GC-MS; Minimum Inhibitory Concentration, MIC