Antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of extracts from selected  Allium species

Judit Krisch; Ildikó Bartháné Szalma; Zsolt Határ; Csilla Veres; Csaba Vágvölgyi

doi:10.14232/abs.2026.1.47-53

Authors

Judit Krisch University of Szeged , Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6164-7794
Ildikó Bartháné Szalma Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
Zsolt Határ Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
Csilla Veres University of Szeged , Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7151-1199
Csaba Vágvölgyi University of Szeged , Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0009-7773

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14232/abs.2026.1.47-53

Keywords:

Allium cepa, Allium ursinum, Allium schoenoprasum, total phenolics, DPPH, FRAP, MIC, natural antimicrobials

Abstract

Allium vegetables are widely consumed and represent important dietary sources of organosulfur compounds and phenolics with potential antioxidant and antimicrobial relevance. In the present study, hydroethanolic extracts prepared from onion (Allium cepa; young/spring, summer, and mature stages), leek (Allium porrum), chive (Allium schoenoprasum), and ramson (Allium ursinum; selected plant parts) were comparatively evaluated in vitro. Lyophilized plant material was extracted with 50% ethanol/water. Antioxidant properties were determined by total phenolic content, DPPH radical scavenging activity, and FRAP reducing power. Antimicrobial activity was screened by agar well diffusion and quantified by broth dilution assays for bacteria and yeasts, while filamentous fungi were evaluated by a disc-based growth inhibition assay. Among the tested samples, ramson bulb exhibited the highest phenolic content (82.29 mg GAE/100 g fresh weight) and the strongest reducing power (FRAP-AS 603.78 µM and FRAP-Fe 670.87 µM per 100 g fresh weight), whereas the highest DPPH scavenging activity was recorded for ramson leaf (78.40%). In antibacterial assays, the lowest MIC/MBC against Escherichia coli (2.5/2.5 mg/mL) was observed for chive and ramson inflorescence extracts. Detectable activity against Serratia marcescens and Micrococcus luteus was restricted to ramson organs, with the inflorescence extract showing the highest potency (MIC/MBC 1.25/2.5 mg/mL). Overall, ramson plant parts and chive consistently showed the most pronounced bioactivities across the applied assays, indicating their relevance as candidates for further phytochemical characterization and application-oriented evaluation as natural sources of antioxidant and antimicrobial agents.