Antibacterial Activity and Fatty Acid Composition of Sudanese Castor Bean (Ricinus communis L) Seed Oil

The castor bean plant (Ricinus communis L) has very popular seed oil that is consumed in different applications around the world. In the present study, the seed oil of Ricinus communis grown in Sudan was investigated in respect to its antibacterial activity and fatty acid composition. The antibacterial activity of the oil was tested against six bacteria strains using the disc diffusion method, while its fatty acid composition was analyzed by Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The oil exhibited different degrees of antibacterial activity depending on the doses of the oil applied. The maximum zone of inhibition observed for each bacterium was as follows: Staphylococcus aureus (8.1 mm), Enterococcus faecalis (6.5 mm), Bacillus subtilis (6.2 mm), Escherichia coli (6.0 mm), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5.5 mm) and Salmonella typhi (5.2 mm). The unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) content was 97.9% of the total fatty acid composition. Ricinoleic acid comprises over 85% while other fatty acids identified were linoleic (8.1%), oleic (4.3%), stearic (1.1%), palmitic (0.8%), and linolenic (0.4%). The findings from this study may add to the overall value of the industrial and medicinal potential of this plant.