antibacterial activity and chemical composition of ajowan (carum copticum benth. & hook) essential oil

gas chromatography (gc) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (gc-ms) were employed to determine the chemical composition of essential oil obtained from dry fruits of carum copticum. thymol (36.7%), -terpinene (36.5%) and -cymene (21.1%) were found to be the major constituents of the oil. the anti-bacterial activities of the oil were mainly investigated against food poisoning bacteria (salmonella thyphimorium, pseudomonas aeruginosa, entero-pathogenic escherichia coli, and staphylococcus aureus) by broth microdilution and agar diffusion methods. the oil exhibited significant anti-bacterial activities against all the examined bacteria. in conclusion, the results of this study showed that the oil of ajowan is rich in monoterpenes and it may be used as a natural anti-bacterial agent in drug and food industries.