Antimicrobial characteristics of Thymus vulgaris and Rosa damascena oils against some milk-borne bacteria

Abstract

In dairy industry, antimicrobial essential oils (EOs) are proposed as alternative to synthetic disinfectants due to their eco-friendly characteristics. The present study aimed to evaluate the diversity of the microorganisms isolated from the food contact surfaces of a dairy plant in Turkey and to determine antimicrobial characteristics of the Thymus vulgaris and Rosa damascena essential oils against these strains. Four Gram-negative and eight Gram-positive bacteria were identified from collected samples and the efficacy of natural disinfectant candidates were evaluated. The bioactive components of EOs were analyzed by GC–MS and the agar diffusion method was performed to determine their antimicrobial activity against identified isolates. The vast majority of T. vulgaris is composed of d-carvone (44.88 %), ϒ-terpinene (15.69 %) p-cymene (10.76 %) while R. damascena is composed of β-citronellol (48.65 %) and geraniol (13.03 %). Our results indicated that, Gram-negative bacteria had more susceptibility against both EOs (9.00–16.50 mm antimicrobial zone diameter) than Gram-positive bacteria (4.00–15.00 mm antimicrobial zone diameter). The recent findings indicated the potential application of T. vulgaris and R. damascena to avoid spoilage microorganisms, provide hygiene rules and food safety.