Changes in phytochemical, antimicrobial and free radical scavenging activities of the Peruvian pepper tree (Schinus molle L.) as influenced by fruit maturation

The effect of stage of maturity on total lipids, fatty acids, yields and essential oil composition and their antimicrobial and free radical scavenging activities of the Schinus molle fruits was investigated. The content of total lipids varied from 2.87 to 5.35%(w/w. dw) and were rich in unsaturated fatty acids particularly linoleic acid. As maturation progress, the essential oil yield dropped from 5.18% to 1.15%. Monoterpene hydrocarbons with alpha-phellandrene (35.15-40.38%), limonene + beta-phellandrene (21.47-36.62%), beta-myrcene (7.61-24.96%) and alpha-pinene (1.92-2.58%) were found to be the main components. At the same time, the essential oils were evaluated for their antimicrobial and free radical scavenging activities. They were found to be active against Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella typhymurium and Escherichia coli but they do not inhibit the growth of Candida albicans. Conversely, they showed very weak activity against the DPPH radical. In both assay, the oil derived from the intermediate stage was reported as more efficient. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.