Abstract
Pistacia terebinthus seeds were submitted to hydrodistillation in a Clevenger apparatus. Their essential oil composition was analysed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). We tested also its biological activity against some microorganisms : Escherichia Coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 and Bacillus cereus ATCC 11778. Results showed that the most abundant volatile compound of P. terebinthus seed essential oil was β-pinene with a percentage of 38.28 %. Furthermore, monoterpene hydrocarbons accounting for 84.66 % of total volatiles constituted the prominent chemical class of this volatile oil. Respective amounts of oxygenated monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes were of 6.58 and 3.29 %. Moreover, the antibacterial assay showed that P. terebinthus seed essential oil was moderately active against the tested microorganisms due to its low amount of oxygenated monoterpenes.