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. 2014 Jul;2(4):403-16.
doi: 10.1002/fsn3.116. Epub 2014 May 4.

Antimicrobial activities of commercial essential oils and their components against food-borne pathogens and food spoilage bacteria

Hasika Mith  1 , Rémi Duré  2 , Véronique Delcenserie  2 , Abdesselam Zhiri  3 , Georges Daube  2 , Antoine Clinquart  2
Affiliations

Antimicrobial activities of commercial essential oils and their components against food-borne pathogens and food spoilage bacteria

Hasika Mith et al. Food Sci Nutr. 2014 Jul.

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine the in vitro antimicrobial activities of 15 commercial essential oils and their main components in order to pre-select candidates for potential application in highly perishable food preservation. The antibacterial effects against food-borne pathogenic bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Typhimurium, and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7) and food spoilage bacteria (Brochothrix thermosphacta and Pseudomonas fluorescens) were tested using paper disk diffusion method, followed by determination of minimum inhibitory (MIC) and bactericidal (MBC) concentrations. Most of the tested essential oils exhibited antimicrobial activity against all tested bacteria, except galangal oil. The essential oils of cinnamon, oregano, and thyme showed strong antimicrobial activities with MIC ≥ 0.125 μL/mL and MBC ≥ 0.25 μL/mL. Among tested bacteria, P. fluorescens was the most resistant to selected essential oils with MICs and MBCs of 1 μL/mL. The results suggest that the activity of the essential oils of cinnamon, oregano, thyme, and clove can be attributed to the existence mostly of cinnamaldehyde, carvacrol, thymol, and eugenol, which appear to possess similar activities against all the tested bacteria. These materials could be served as an important natural alternative to prevent bacterial growth in food products.

Keywords: Antimicrobial activity; essential oil; food spoilage bacteria; food-borne pathogenic bacteria.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Inhibition diameter zones obtained by paper disk diffusion method for Origanum heracleoticum, Cinnamomum verum, Eugenia caryophyllus, carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, and eugenol against (A) Salmonella Typhimurium ATCC 14028 and (B) Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC 13525.
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