Chemical Characterizations and Biological Evaluation of Papaya (Carica papaya L.) Essential Oils and Fatty Acids

Abstract

The genus Carica L. (Caricaceae) is presented by 22 species where C. papaya L. is the most widely cultivated and best-known species. It is native in Middle and South America, and consumed for its nutritional values. Also, its medicinal uses such as antimicrobial, antihelmintic, antifungal, hepatoprotective and diuretic among others are known. In this present study, it was aimed to analyse the chemical compositions of C. papaya (cv. Sel 42) essential and fatty oils from Antalya cultivars. Essential oils (EOs) from leaf, ripe and unripe fruits of C. papaya were obtained by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger type apparatus. The essential oils were subsequently analysed by both Gas chromatography (GC) and Gas chromatography-Mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Benzyl isothiocyanate (86.3; 100; 94.4%) was found as the main constituent of the EOs of C. papaya leaf, ripe and unripe fruits, respectively. Dried and fresh seeds of C. papaya fatty acids (FAs) were extracted with n-hexane in a Soxhlet apparatus, and after the methylation the chemical compositions were determined by GC and GC-MS systems. The major FAs of both dried and fresh seeds of C. papaya were oleic acid (72; 70%), palmitic acid (15%; 16.4%), linoleic acid (5.3%; 5.1%), respectively. The C. papaya EOs and FAs were evaluated also for their in vitro antimicrobial properties against different microbial strains by the agar disk well diffusion method. The EOs and FAs showed relatively weak antimicrobial activity against the tested Escherichia coli NRRL B-3008, Bacillus subtilis NRRL B-4378, and Candida albicans ATCC 10231, respectively. Further biological evaluations are ongoing.

Keywords

• Carica papaya L.
• Caricaceae
• essential oil
• fatty oil
• antimicrobial activity

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