Evaluation of the antimicrobial potential of extracts from plants of the family Asteraceae

Nowadays, medicinal plants have different uses since they can play an important role in the design of modern medicines and new healthy foods. Although their consumption is not elevated, these plants are attributed pharmacological properties with beneficial properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, or antimicrobial, among others [1]. The study aimed to evaluate extracts derived from Camaemelum nobile and Arnica montana, two plants from the Asteraceae family that could be of interest for the industry, analyzing their antimicrobial capacity. After a previous bibliographic study, heat-assisted extraction (HAE) was selected and used to obtain extracts rich in bioactive compounds. Then, the antimicrobial activity was determined using three Gram-negative species: Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 10145), Escherichia coli (NCTC 9001) and Salmonella enteritidis (ATCC 13676); and two Gram-positive species: Bacillus cereus (ATCC 25923) and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923). The results obtained showed that A. montana showed a greater antimicrobial activity with inhibition halos ranging from 8.36 to 6.82 mm while the C. nobile showed inhibition halos of 7.55 and 7.91 mm against bacteria such as S. enteritidis and P. aeruginosa, respectively. None of the plants showed activity against S. aureus. These results provide scientific evidence for the evaluation of the potential of medicinal plant extracts for the development of new products with antimicrobial properties.