Valorization of citrus sinensis wastes for the production of orange essential oil: identification of chemical composition and antibacterial activity

Abstract

The objective of this study was to extract, characterize, and examine the antibacterial properties of orange essential oil obtained from citrus sinensis peels, using hydro-distillation method. Various components of the orange oil were characterized by FTIR, UV-Vis and GC- MS spectroscopic techniques. The extracted essential oil was conformed to AFNOR standards, and had a maximum yield of 3.4% (w/w). The obtained results showed that limonene was the major bioactive components of the orange essential oil (97.14%). The essential orange oil and its dilutions in DMSO showed an excellent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (gram-positive bacteria) with a diameter of inhibition zone superior to 40 mm. However, it was ineffective antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aerogenes (gram negative bacteria).