Composition, antioxidative and antimicrobial activities of tobacco flower bud oil

The composition of the oil extracted from flue-cured tobacco flower bud was examined by GC-MS. Twenty-four compounds were uniquely identified, representing 54.8% of the total oil with a yield above 0.57% (mass fraction). The major components were 1H-cyclopropeazulene (12.22%), m-mentha- 4,8-diene (8.36%), terpinolene (6.74%) and thunbergol (4.10%). The oil was subsequently subjected to antimicrobial and antioxidative activity tests. The essential oil and its main compounds showed potent ·OH and·O₂- scavenging effects. The essential oil showed significant response against Bacillus subtilis, with the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values (3.5 ± 0.11 and 3.5 ± 0.10 mg/mL). The oil from tobacco flower bud is a potential source of novel antioxidative and antimicrobial agents.