Abstract Jatropha curcas seed oil was studied by GC-MS. The oil was also evaluated for antimicrobial activity. Twenty two components were detected by GC-MS analysis. Main constituents are: Z,Z-9,12-octadecadienoic acid methyl ester (37.56%); Z-9-octadecenoic acid methyl ester (26.03%%); hexadecanoic acid methyl ester (19.09%); methyl stearate (13.20%).
The antibacterial activity of the oil was evaluated via the cup plate agar diffusion bioassay against five standard pathogenic bacteria: Gram positive: Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtitlis; Gram negative: Esherichia coli and Pseudomonasa aeruginosa and the fungus Candida albicans. The oil showed excellent activity against Escherichia coli and excellent anticandidal activity.
Keywords GC-MS analysis, Antimicrobial Activity, Jatropha curcas.