7th ISF

BIOL032 - Bactericidal Effects of Cedar Oil

Our research subject is the bactericidal effects of Miyazaki’s cedar oil. Miyazaki Prefecture has been Japan's largest producer of cedar logs for 32 consecutive years, and we began experimenting to see if we could make effective use of cedar. Cedar oil is a by-product during drying cedar. We think utilizing what we generally throw away can take one step forward to achieve SDGs. According to a professor in Kyushu university, he examined the bactericidal effects of Oguni cedar oil using Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus as contaminants. It was only effective in Staphylococcus aureus. In this experiment, we observed the effectiveness of cedar oil’s bactericidal effects in various bacteria, for instance, Bacillus subtilis var. natto., lactic acid bacteria, Aspergillus oryzae, and so on. [Experiment procedures]1. Prepare agar containing drops of cedar oil 2. Smear bacteria (Bacillus subtilis var. natto, lactic acid bacteria, and Aspergillus oryzae) on agar 3.See whether the colonies exist, and to what extent[Results]We observed bactericidal effects in Bacillus subtilis var. natto and Aspergillus oryzae. We didn’t see effects in Lactic acid bacteria, which exist in yogurt or cheese and there were few colonies emerged. The reason for this outcome is likely that lactic acid bacteria prefer anaerobic states and colonies were not increased that much. In addition to the prior experiment, we are also going to examine whether cedar oil still has antibacterial effects if it is diluted with organic solvent. Those are 2 times, 3 times, and 4 times dilution.In the future, we are thinking of making a perfume using cedar oil. People can relax with its smell. Antibacterial effects can be expected too. Since our memory and smell functions in our brain are close, those relate to each other heavily. For instance, with one drop of the oil in the water of a humidifier, it reminds people’s old memories, makes them relax, and sanitizes the air at the same time.

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