In vitro antimicrobial activity of Lemon grass oil by MIC and agar well diffusion method

Abstract-Foodpreservativesareusedtoincrease the shelf life of food and to maintain the quality for longer time. In the last scenario no herbal ayurvedic preservative had been considered with respect to the use of chemical preservative. Due to increasing demands for naturalandpreservativefreecompoundspromoted an idea of the replacement of synthetic preservatives with essential oils of antimicrobial properties.Essentialoilsfrommedicinalplantsarepotentialsourceofnovelantimicrobialcompounds especially against food spoilage pathogens. The aim of this project was to study antimicrobial activity of essential oil from Lemongrass (Cymbopogan citratus)oil against food spoilage organisms Escherichia coli, Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus andBacillus cereus and fungus Aspergillus brasilliensis, Candida albicans, Chaetomium globosum and Penicillium funiculosumusing agar well diffusion method. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated by measuring the zone of inhibition. The oil at30% concentration completely/partially inhibited the growth of foodspoilagepathogens.Thesuccessfuleffectiveness of Lemon grass oil could also play amajorroleinreplacingthechemicalpreservative.