Essential oil composition and anti-microbial activity of <i>Zyzgium aromaticum (l) merril</i> and <i>Percy [fam. Myrtaceae</i>] using hydro-distillation and solvent extraction methods

Zyzgium aromaticum fruits were procured from the Keffi market located in Nassarawa State, Nigeria. Hydro-distillation and solvent extraction techniques were then used to extract the essential oils. Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and E. coli were used to identify the volatile constituents using gas chromatography techniques, using the direct injection method. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), minimum inhibition concentration (MIC), and antimicrobial test were equally applied to the volatile constituents. 51 compounds were found in Zyzgium aromaticum, with the following major components: eugenol (55.65, 45.95%), â-caryophyllene (14.94, 26.54%), eugenol acetate (9.92, 12.13%), bisabolol oxide A (7.38, 3.19%), isobornyl isobutyrate (8-isobutyryloxy) (6.84, 5.95%), and bisabolol Oxide B (1.09, 0.34%) for solvent extraction and hydro-distillation methods, respectively. In general, the extraction methods' results demonstrated that hydro-distillation is a superior extraction technique that is also more cost-effective. The volatile components exhibited some degree of efficacy against the employed pathogens.