The drugs normally used to combat food pathogens have some limitations, such as waste
accumulation in the environment and bacterial resistance. Given this problem, alternative treatments, such as the
use of essential oils, have been investigated. Essential oils containing linalool usually have high biological activity,
despite this, few investigations have been dedicated to the biological activity of the essential oil of Aniba duckei,
which has as major component linalool. Aim: In this work, we investigate the chemical composition and
antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of the leaves of Aniba duckei obtained by hydrodistillation. Methods: The
leaves and branches of the species Aniba duckei were collected in the state of Amazonas, Brazil, in the morning.
The essential oil was obtained by the hydrodistillation method and characterized by GC/MS gas chromatography
to identify the major components present in the oil. Soon after, the biological activity of the essential oil was tested
using the Bauer Kirby method. The strains tested were Aeromonas caviae, Aeromonas hydrophila, Enterococcus
faecalis and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Results and Discussion: The findings show that the major component of
the oil is linalool. The most relevant secondary components are α-terpineol, α-copaene and α-guaieno. As for
biological activity, it was observed that the oil showed inhibition halos ranging from 10-22 mm, indicating strong
activity against the microorganisms tested. Conclusions: The essential oil of Aniba duckei has potential for
application as an antimicrobial agent.
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