Essential oils from three Malaysian Zingiberaceae plants, Boesenbergia rotunda, Curcuma mangga, and Kaempferia galanga, were investigated for their chemical composition and antibacterial activity. The essential oils were extracted using hydrodistillation and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antibacterial activity of the essential oils was evaluated against a panel of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria using the microdilution method.

The GC-MS analysis revealed that the essential oils were rich in terpenes and sesquiterpenes. The major components of the essential oils were monoterpenes, such as α-pinene, β-pinene, and camphene, and sesquiterpenes, such as zingiberene, β-sesquiphellandrene, and curcumene.

The essential oils exhibited significant antibacterial activity against all of the tested bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of the essential oils ranged from 0.06 to 1.00 mg/mL. The essential oil from B. rotunda was the most active, followed by the essential oils from C. mangga and K. galanga.

The results of this study suggest that the essential oils from B. rotunda, C. mangga, and K. galanga have the potential to be used as natural antibacterial agents.