Chemical composition, organoleptic, physicochemical, and antibacterial properties of three plants of the lamiaceae family on Escherichia Coli strains

Abstract

This study aimed to identify biological control methods for contaminated poultry products and the antibiotic resistance associated with the antibiotics used in poultry farming, which are responsible for toxin infections and therapeutic failures in public health. The antibacterial activity of essential oils of Thymus vulgaris, Ocimum basilicum, and Mentha pulegium was tested on 78 strains of Escherichia coli isolated from turkey meat marketed at the point of sale. The essential oils were obtained by hydro-distillation, and their organoleptic quality and physicochemical characteristics were assessed following the standard. Their liquid and mobile appearance characterizes essential oils. The three essential oils studied presented different values for the four physicochemical properties. The antibacterial effect of those essential oils was done on Escherichia coli strains using the direct contact technique on agar. The essential oils showed remarkable antibacterial activities with an inhibition diameter ranging from 10.60 to 21.4 mm compared to the positive control (gentamicin) which is used as a preventive, or curative agent in poultry farming. Moreover, MIC and CMB values are equal, with a CMB/CMI ratio equal to 1, making these essential oils bactericidal. These results lead us to conclude that aromatic and medicinal plant EOs can provide a valid alternative to antibiotic and preservative agents in the fight against toxin infections of foodstuffs of animal origin.