Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Potential of Extracts from Plants of the Family Asteraceae

Today, medicinal plants have multiple different uses since they can play an important role in the design of modern medicines and new healthy foods. Although their level of consumption is not high, these plants are attributed pharmacological properties with beneficial properties, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, or antimicrobial, among others. This study aimed to evaluate extracts derived from Chamaemelum nobile and Arnica montana, two plants from the Asteraceae family that could be of interest for the industry, in terms of 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 moderate antimicrobial activity with inhibition zones ranging from 6.82 to 8.36 mm while the C. nobile showed inhibition zones of 7.55 and 7.91 mm against S. enteritidis and P. aeruginosa, respectively. None of the plants showed activity against S. aureus. These results provide scientific evidence for the use of medicinal plant extracts for the development of new products with antimicrobial properties.