EXTRACTION, IDENTIFICATION AND STUDY ANTIMICROBIAL POTENTIAL OF THE BLACK PEPPER (Piper nigrum L.) ESSENTIAL OIL BIOMONITORED BY Artemia salina Leach

The essential oils are effective antimicrobial agents due to the bioactive compounds they have. The objective was to extract and identify the chemical constituents of the essential oil of black pepper ( Piper nigrum L.), study its antimicrobial potential and biomonitored the oil through the cytotoxic potential test. The essential oil was extracted by steam distillation. The oil was analyzed for its chemical composition and subjected to biomonitoring by Artemia Salina Leach and subsequent antimicrobial activity and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). The plant material showed a yield of 1.15% of essential oil, where 38 compounds were identified by chromatography, the major constituents being: sabinene (30.62%), limonene (21.43%), karyophylene (21%), beta - pinene (9.62%) and alpha -pinene (5.31%). The essential oil showed CL50 8.48 mu g/mL compared to Artemia salina Leach. The bacteria Listeria innocua (15.60 mm) and Escherichia coli (5.60 mm), presented lower to greater resistance to the essential oil studied, respectively. Listeria monocytogenes and Clostridium perfringens presented lower MIC, with 30.92 mu g/mL. Thus, black pepper essential oil is a promising antimicrobial, being a possibility of future application, as a natural preservative in the food industry.