CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS, ANTIMICROBIAL AND ANTIBIOFILMACTIVITIES OF ESSENTIAL OILS AND ETHANOLIC EXTRACTS OFORIGANUM FLORIBUNDUM MUNBY, EUCALYPTUS CITRIODORA HOOKAND CYMBOPOGON SCHOENANTHUS (L.) SPRENG.

This study explores the chemical composition, antimicrobial, and antibiofilm activities of essential oils (EOs) and ethanolic extracts (EEs) from Origanum floribundum (OF), Eucalyptus citriodora (EC), and Cymbopogon schoenanthus (CS).The EOs analyzed by GC-MS revealed the presence of p-cymene (38%), citronellal (40%), and piperitone (52.1%) as main components in OF, EC, and CS, respectively.The antimicrobial activity was tested against seven microorganisms, including two Grampositive and three Gram-negative bacteria, one yeast and one fungus.The EOs demonstrated notable antimicrobial activity, particularly OF, which exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial effects against all tested germs.Compared to EOs, EEs showed lower antimicrobial efficiency.All EOs and EEs displayed antibiofilm activity against Staphylococcus aureus.Evaluating antimicrobial activity for EO combinations revealed synergistic effects of OF-EC and EC-CS against Gram-positive bacteria.In contrast, other combinations demonstrated additive activity or indifferent effect compared to the individual oils.Additionally, most EO combinations exhibited antagonistic interactions against fungal species.In conclusion, EOs of OF and EC could be potential natural preservatives in the food industry.