Abstract: This paper reports the antibacterial effect of three major monomeric compounds (tricosane, cedrol and hexadecanoic acid) in the essential oil from bamboo leaves. Using agar diffusion method, the antibacterial action of these monomers and their mixtures were studied against different microorganisms: Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis), Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Flavobacterium columnare) and yeast. The results showed that cedrol had the strongest antibacterial effect, followed by hexadecanoic acid. The antibacterial effect of combinations of the three monomers was stronger than that seen when they were separately tested. The antibacterial effect of tricosane when used in combination with cedrol was much better than that observed when it was used alone, but slightly lower than that of cedrol alone. Similarly, the antibacterial effect of tricosane was increased by combination with hexadecanoic acid, but was weaker than that of hexadecanoic acid. The antibacterial effect of a mixture of cedrol and hexadecanoic acid was higher than that observed when hexadecanoic acid was tested alone, but slightly lower than that of sole hexadecanoic acid treatment. The antioxidant effect of a mixture of the three monomers was higher than that seen when tricosane and hexadecanoic acid were tested alone, and also higher than that of combinations of two of them.

Key words: essential oil of bamboo leaves, tricosane, cedrol, hexadecanoic acid, antibacterial effect