Abstract
In the present study, the essential oils (EOs) of some officinal plants from Abruzzo territory (Italy) were evaluated for their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities and their volatile fraction chemical characterization. The EOs were extracted from Rosmarinus officinalis, Origanum vulgare, Salvia officinalis, Mentha piperita, Allium sativum, Foeniculum vulgare, Satureja montana, Thymus vulgaris and Coriandrum sativum seeds. The antimicrobial activity was screened against thirteen Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains to determine the Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). The total phenolic content (TPC) and the antioxidant capacity (AOC) were assessed by means of Folin-Ciocâlteu method, and Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity with 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (TEAC/ABTS), Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays respectively. Among the nine EOs tested, T. vulgaris, S. montana, O. vulgare and C. sativum EOs showed MIC values ranging from 0.625 to 5 μL/mL. The AOC and TPC results for these species were also interesting. The major components for these EOs were thymol for T. vulgaris (44%) and O. vulgare (40%), linalool (77%) for C. sativum, and carvacrol for S. montana (54%). The results allowed the study to establish that these EOs are good candidates for potential application as biopreservatives in foods and/or food manufacture environments.
Highlights
Food spoilage can be defined as the alteration of a product due to microbial, chemical, or physical mechanisms that lead a food to become undesirable or unacceptable for human consumption [1].In food products manufacture, many effective preservation strategies are applied against food spoilage, involving mainly the employment of synthetic preservatives
An alternative strategy to synthetic chemical preservatives is represented by the employment of essential oils (EOs)
Employed in foods as aromatizing and flavoring agents [2], these plant volatile fractions can be exploited by the food industry for their antimicrobial [3,4] and antioxidant [5]
Summary
Food spoilage can be defined as the alteration of a product due to microbial, chemical, or physical mechanisms that lead a food to become undesirable or unacceptable for human consumption [1]. Many effective preservation strategies are applied against food spoilage, involving mainly the employment of synthetic preservatives. The increasing negative consumer perception of synthetic additives and the worldwide growing problem of allergies, is causing the food industry to search for more effective preservation strategies [2]. An alternative strategy to synthetic chemical preservatives is represented by the employment of essential oils (EOs). Employed in foods as aromatizing and flavoring agents [2], these plant volatile fractions can be exploited by the food industry for their antimicrobial [3,4] and antioxidant [5]. EOs, possess the ability to permeabilize the membrane of microorganisms, with consequent loss of vital intracellular constituents and interruption of the cellular metabolism and
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