Evaluation of the Chemical Composition, the Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Mentha × piperita Essential Oil against Microbial Growth and Biofilm Formation

This study aimed to investigate the antioxidant activity of Mentha x piperita L. essential oil (EO), and its antimicrobial effects on different microbial (bacteria and yeast) species. Mentha piperita L. was collected from the Chiffa an Algerian locality. The extraction of the essential oil was carried out on the fresh aerial part of the plant. The Extracted EO was subjected to gas chromatography (GC) evaluating the different chemical constituent. To assess the antioxidant activity of the EO, we measured the Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl. To evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the EO, we use various clinical and reference microorganisms. Our results showed that the EO contained several chemicals that include 32.93 % menthol, 24.41 % menthone, 8.08 % cis-caran, and 7.89 % eucalyptol (1,8-cineole). The extracted EO does have significant antioxidant activity that increases with the high concentrations of the EO. We also showed that the EO has antimicrobial activity reducing the growth and biofilm formation of bacteria and yeast (Candida albicans). The percentage of growth reduction was ranged from 40 % to almost 100 %, depending on the tested microbes. Altogether, our data suggest the potential antimicrobial activity of M. Piperita EO that may be of good use to control infections with mammalians and environment.