Essential oil of pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium): Composition and applications as alternatives to pesticides—New tendencies

Abstract

The widespread use of pesticides has made them into a frequent pollutant of soils and water. The usage of essential oils has gathered the attention of the scientific research community in the last decade as they present a reduced environmental impact compared to conventional pesticides and are equally or more effective in controlling pests in crops. Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) essential oil is of particular interest due to its traditional usage in plague/pest control. In fact, recent studies show that it is highly effective and presents a broad spectrum of action as a biocide, affecting bacteria, fungi, yeast, insects, acarines, parasites, nematodes, and plants. This is mainly due to the most common constituents of the essential oil, pulegone and menthone, which are known to have strong pesticidal and antioxidant properties. This review focus on summarizing and systematizing the composition and efficacy as a biocide of M. pulegium essential oils and the developments of the last decade regarding the usage of M. pulegium essential oil as an alternative to pesticides. Encapsulation and inclusion in biofilms are also mentioned as strategies to incorporate M. pulegium essential oil in applications associated with pharmaceutical and food industries.