Improving the Efficacy of Essential Oils as Antimicrobials in Foods: Mechanisms of Action

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Abstract

The consumer preference for clean-label products is requiring the food industry to reformulate their products by replacing artificial additives with natural alternatives. Essential oils are natural antimicrobials isolated from plant sources that have the potential to combat many foodborne pathogens and spoilage organisms. This review begins by discussing the antimicrobial properties of essential oils, the relationships between their chemical structure and antimicrobial efficacy, and their potential limitations for commercial applications (such as strong flavor, volatility, and chemical instability). We then review the commonly used methods for screening the antimicrobial efficacy of essential oils and elucidating their mechanisms of action. Finally, potential applications of essential oils as antimicrobials in foods are reviewed and the major types of food-grade delivery systems available for improving their efficacy are discussed.

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Antimicrobial agents from plants: antibacterial activity of plant volatile oils.

H. J. D. Dorman, S G Deans (2000)

The volatile oils of black pepper [Piper nigrum L. (Piperaceae)], clove [Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & Perry (Myrtaceae)], geranium [Pelargonium graveolens L'Herit (Geraniaceae)], nutmeg [Myristica fragrans Houtt. (Myristicaceae), oregano [Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum (Link) Letsw. (Lamiaceae)] and thyme [Thymus vulgaris L. (Lamiaceae)] were assessed for antibacterial activity against 25 different genera of bacteria. These included animal and plant pathogens, food poisoning and spoilage bacteria. The volatile oils exhibited considerable inhibitory effects against all the organisms under test while their major components demonstrated various degrees of growth inhibition.

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Essential Oils in Food Preservation: Mode of Action, Synergies, and Interactions with Food Matrix Components

Morten Hyldgaard, Tina Mygind, Rikke Louise Meyer … (2012)

Essential oils are aromatic and volatile liquids extracted from plants. The chemicals in essential oils are secondary metabolites, which play an important role in plant defense as they often possess antimicrobial properties. The interest in essential oils and their application in food preservation has been amplified in recent years by an increasingly negative consumer perception of synthetic preservatives. Furthermore, food-borne diseases are a growing public health problem worldwide, calling for more effective preservation strategies. The antibacterial properties of essential oils and their constituents have been documented extensively. Pioneering work has also elucidated the mode of action of a few essential oil constituents, but detailed knowledge about most of the compounds’ mode of action is still lacking. This knowledge is particularly important to predict their effect on different microorganisms, how they interact with food matrix components, and how they work in combination with other antimicrobial compounds. The main obstacle for using essential oil constituents as food preservatives is that they are most often not potent enough as single components, and they cause negative organoleptic effects when added in sufficient amounts to provide an antimicrobial effect. Exploiting synergies between several compounds has been suggested as a solution to this problem. However, little is known about which interactions lead to synergistic, additive, or antagonistic effects. Such knowledge could contribute to design of new and more potent antimicrobial blends, and to understand the interplay between the constituents of crude essential oils. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of current knowledge about the antibacterial properties and antibacterial mode of action of essential oils and their constituents, and to identify research avenues that can facilitate implementation of essential oils as natural preservatives in foods.