Determination of chemical components, antibacterial activity, and mold inhibitory activity of the cinnamon bark (cinnamomum) essential oils

Cinnamon is a medium-large tree of Lauraceae widely grown in Vietnam, especially in the provinces of Quang Nam, Thua Thien Hue, Yen Bai, Lao Cai, Lang Son, Lai Chau, Bac Kan, Tuyen Quang, and Ha Giang. The gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method of analysis resulted in the identification of 18 chemical compounds for cinnamon bark essential oil. There are nine chemical components that are hydrocarbons, such as monoterpenes (37.53%) and sesquiterpenes (6.48%), and the rest are oxygenated hydrocarbons, such as aldehydes (42.26%) and alcohols (12.47%). Cinnamon bark essential oil has antibacterial properties on experimental microbial strains. Bacillus cereus was found to be the most sensitive, followed by Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Micrococcus luteus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The antibacterial minimum inhibitory concentrations of cinnamon bark essential oils against most microorganisms were 5.05 ± 0.12 μL/mL, peaking at 7.25 ± 0.18 μL/mL. The strongest antibacterial ability is mold strain Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Aspergillus niger, and the lowest is mold strain Penicillium. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of cinnamon bark essential oils against most mold were 4.05 ± 0.15 μL/mL, peaking at 5.05 ± 0.15 μL/mL.