Antimicrobial Properties of Natural Phenols and Related Compounds

Abstract

Obtusastyrene (4-cinnamylphenol) displays effective antimicrobial activity in vitro against a variety of gram-positive bacteria, yeasts, and molds. The activity of obtusastyrene is not appreciably affected by p H, and its minimal inhibitory concentrations, 12 to 25 μg/ml for bacteria and 12 to 100 μg/ml for fungi, compare favorably with those of a number of synthetic, phenolic antimicrobial agents.