In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils from Aromatic Plants against Selected Foodborne Pathogens

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of selected essential oils for the control of growth and survival of pathogenic microorganisms of significant importance in food hygiene and to determine whether the antimicrobial effect was due to the major compounds of the oils. MIC and MBC were determined by the tube dilution method. Essential oils from Thymus vulgaris from Spain and France, Salvia sclarea, Salvia officinalis, Salvia lavandulifolia, Lavandula latifolia, Lavandula angustifolia, three hybrids of Lavandula latifolia x Lavandula angustifolia (Lavandin 'Super', Lavandin 'Abrialis', and Lavandin 'Grosso'), Rosmarinus officinalis, Hissopus officinalis, and Satureja montana were evaluated. Inhibition ranged from the strong activity of Satureja montana and Thymus vulgaris (France) to no inhibition with Salvia sclarea and Hissopus officinalis for each of the test strains: Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Yersinia enterocolitica, Shigella flexneri, Listeria monocytogenes serovar 4b, and Staphylococcus aureus. Because some of the essential oils were highly inhibitory in small quantities to selected pathogenic microorganisms, they may provide alternatives to conventional antimicrobial additives in foods.

Essential oil of <i>Thymus vulgaris</i> L. and <i>Rosmarinus officinalis</i> L.: Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, cytotoxicity and antioxidant properties and antibacterial activities against foodborne pathogens

“…Both essential oils showed a significant antibacterial activity against Gram positive as well as Gram negative bacteria that confirms previous findings [17,41,46]. Thyme essential oil exhibited a higher anti-microbial activity than that of rosemary essential oil, which was similar to the results of the sensitivity test ( Table 2).…”

“…Numerous studies have described the chemical composition, the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the EOs of several species of the genus Thymus, in the family Lamiaceae [8,17,18] how serves as preservative for foods and as an aromatic ingredient for seasoning various dishes [19]. Regarding Rosmarinus officinalis EOs (Lamiaceae family), it has been previously reported variations in the chemical composition and biological activity of plants growing in different countries [8,20].…”

Chemical composition, antimicrobial, antioxidant and antitumor activity of Thymus serpyllum L., Thymus algeriensis Boiss. and Reut and Thymus vulgaris L. essential oils

“…The oils were submitted to bioactivity evaluation by measuring in vitro antioxidant potential. Even though, the antibacterial and antifungal activity exhibited by Thymus species has already been demonstrated (Cruz et al, 1989;Karaman et al, 2001;Rota et al, 2004;Couladis 2004;Soković et al, 2008Soković et al, , 2009 are only few quantitative data (minimal inhibitory concentration or minimal bactericidal/fungicidal concentration) related to the antimicrobial activity of the oils against the human oral microorganisms. Therefore, our primary objective was to characterize the essential oils of T. serpyllum, T. algeriensis and T. vulgaris, and to evaluate their antimicrobial, antioxidant, antitumor and cytotoxic attributes, in an attempt to contribute to their use, as alternatives, in microbial control and cancer therapy in humans.…”

Efficacy of Essential Oils From Some African Spices Against Two Strains of Bacillus cereus Isolated From Vegetable Salad

“…The composition, structure, as well as functional groups of the oils play an important role in determining their antimicrobial activity. The compounds containing phenolic groups are usually most effective (Rota et al, 2004). Friedman et al (2007) stated that several antimicrobial wine recipes, each consisting of red or white wine extracts of oregano leaves with added garlic juice and oregano oil were bactericidal against B. cereus, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella enterica.…”