Chemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Chamomile Flowers Essential Oil (<i>Matricaria chamomilla</i>L.)

The subject of this study is to determine chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of essential oil obtained from chamomile flowers (Matricaria chamomilla L.). The essential oil has been obtained by hydrodistillation process on semi industrial production conditions. Qualitative and quantitative composition of the oil was determined by GC-MS and GC-FID analysis. The antioxidative and antimicrobial activity of chamomile essential oil was investigated in terms of their possible application as natural antioxidants and antimicrobial agents. The obtained results proved the presence of 52 components, wherein the highest content of β-farnesene (29.8 %), α-farnesene (9.3 %), α-bisabolol and its oxide (15.7 %), chamazulene (6.4 %), germacrene D (6.2 %) and spiroether (5.6 %) is determined. The antioxidant activity was investigated by DPPH assay. Chamomile essential oil has shown the best antioxidant properties after 90 minutes of incubation with EC50 value of 2.07 mg/ml. The antimicrobial activity of chamomile essential oil was tested using the agar diffusion method wherein the essential oil has shown notably antibacterial effect with the inhibition zone in diameter from 13.33 mm (on Listeria monocytogenes) to 40.00 mm (on Staphylococcus aureus). There was no antimicrobial activity of chamomile oil on the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. Chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the tested chamomile essential oil, obtained from plant material from the northwestern Republic of Srpska, indicate a significant phytomedical potential.