Abstract

The antioxidant activity of the essential oil was investigated using 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay and the β-carotene bleaching test. Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) was employed as a positive control. The essential oil showed antioxidant and DPPH radical scavenging activities, and it displayed the inhibition of lipid peroxidation. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of the essential oil of Canarium schweinfurthii from Centrafrican Republic were also evaluated against twelve strains of bacteria and three strains of fungi using agar diffusion and broth microdilution methods. The essential oil showed antimicrobial activity against almost the strains studied. The results suggest that C. schweinfurthii essential oil could be a natural antimicrobial and antioxidant agent.

Key words: Canarium schweinfurthii, Burceraceae, essential oil, antimicrobial, antioxidant.