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. 2022 Nov 8;11(11):1572.
doi: 10.3390/antibiotics11111572.

An Optimization of Oregano, Thyme, and Lemongrass Essential Oil Blend to Simultaneous Inactivation of Relevant Foodborne Pathogens by Simplex-Centroid Mixture Design

Luiz Torres Neto  1   2   3 , Maria Lúcia Guerra Monteiro  1   2   3   4 , Maxsueli Aparecida Moura Machado  1   2   3 , Diego Galvan  1   2   5 , Carlos Adam Conte Junior  1   2   3   4   6
Affiliations

An Optimization of Oregano, Thyme, and Lemongrass Essential Oil Blend to Simultaneous Inactivation of Relevant Foodborne Pathogens by Simplex-Centroid Mixture Design

Luiz Torres Neto et al. Antibiotics (Basel). .

Abstract

(1) Background: This study aimed to use the simplex-centroid mixture design methodology coupled with a microdilution assay to predict optimal essential oil (EO) formulations against three potential foodborne pathogens simultaneously through the desirability (D) function. (2) Methods: Oregano (ORE; Origanum vulgare), thyme (THY; Thymus vulgaris), and lemongrass (LG; Cymbopogon citratus) and their blends were evaluated concerning minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) for Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. (3) Results: THY combined with ORE or LG were the most promising EO formulations in inhibiting and killing each bacterium separately. Regarding the simultaneous effect, the optimal proportion for maximum inhibition was composed of 75% ORE, 15% THY, and 10% LG, while for maximum inactivation was 50% ORE, 40% THY, and 10% LG. (4) Conclusion: The multiresponse optimization allowed identifying an EO blend to simultaneously control three potential foodborne pathogens. This first report could be a helpful natural and green alternative for the industry to produce safer food products and mitigate public health risks.

Keywords: bioactive compounds; desirability function; minimum bactericidal concentration; minimum inhibitory concentration; natural antimicrobials; volatile oils.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest and no competing financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
3D surface plots for the effect of different essential oil blends from oregano (ORE; Origanum vulgare), thyme (THY; Thymus vulgaris), and lemongrass (LG; Cymbopogon citratus) on minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value against Escherichia coli (A), Staphylococcus aureus (B) and Salmonella Enteritidis (C) and on minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) value against Escherichia coli (D), Staphylococcus aureus (E) and Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis (F). Results are expressed in percentage (%) and are from twelve experiments, including three central replicates (Section 5.3).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Desirability plot showing the optimal proportions of oregano (ORE; Origanum vulgare), thyme (THY; Thymus vulgaris), and lemongrass (LG; Cymbopogon citratus) to the simultaneous inhibition (MIC) of Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis, and Staphylococcus aureus. Results are expressed in percentage (%) and are from twelve experiments, including three central replicates (Section 5.3).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Desirability plot showing the optimal proportions of oregano (ORE; Origanum vulgare), thyme (THY; Thymus vulgaris), and lemongrass (LG; Cymbopogon citratus) to simultaneous inactivation (MBC) of Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis, and Staphylococcus aureus. Results are expressed in percentage (%) and are from twelve experiments, including three central replicates (Section 5.3).
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