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Essential oils: their antibacterial properties and potential applications in foods--a review.

Improvement in shelf-life and safety of perishable foods by plant essential oils and smoke antimicrobials

In this review, antimicrobials from a range of plant, animal, and microbial sources are reviewed along with their potential applications in food systems. Chemical and biochemical antimicrobial compounds derived from these natural sources and their activity against a range of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms pertinent to food, together with their effects on food organoleptic properties, are outlined. Factors influencing the antimicrobial activity of such agents are discussed including extraction methods, molecular weight, and agent origin. These issues are considered in conjunction with the latest developments in the quantification of the minimum inhibitory (and noninhibitory) concentration of antimicrobials and/or their components. Natural antimicrobials can be used alone or in combination with other novel preservation technologies to facilitate the replacement of traditional approaches. Research priorities and future trends focusing on the impact of product formulation, intrinsic product parameters, and extrinsic storage parameters on the design of efficient food preservation systems are also presented.

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Application of Natural Antimicrobials for Food Preservation

1. A total of 336 Hubbard Hi-Y broiler hybrids were fed from d 1-41 on diets based on maize or wheat and barley which were supplemented (or not) with 100 mg/kg plant extract consisting of capsaicin, cinnamaldehyde and carvacrol. 2. Body weight was not enhanced, but feed conversion improved by 4.2% on the maize diet and 2.0% on the wheat and barley diet. 3. Plant extract addition enhanced the breast muscle proportion of empty body weight by 1.2% in comparison to control birds. 4. The apparent ileal digestibility of nutrients (crude protein, fibre and amino acids) was not significantly better in birds fed on supplemented diets than in the control group. 5. Reduction of E. coli, Clostridium perfringens and fungi and increase of Lactobacillus spp. were observed in the 41-d-old chickens from the supplemented groups. 6. An increase in the lipase activity in pancreas and intestine wall was found in older birds fed on the plant extract supplemented diets.

Use of active substances of plant origin in chicken diets based on maize and locally grown cereals.

Ultrastructural studies on antimicrobial efficacy of thyme essential oils on Listeria monocytogenes.

Firouzi, R, Azadbakht, M. and Nabinedjad, A. 1998. Anti-listerial activity of essential oils of some plants. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 14: 75–80. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of essential oils of plant Thymus daensis, Artemisia absintium, Matricaria chamommilla, Melissa officinalis and Allium sativum (garlic) against Listeria monocytogenes type 4a using tube dilution technique and agar disk diffusion method were studied In tube dilution technique the concentration of each oil was estimated in v/v units. The results showed that the MIC values for T. daensis, A absintium, M. chamommilla, M. officinalis and A. sativum, were 1:6400, 1:1280, 1:1280, 1:2560 and 1:1280, respectively. In agar disk diffusion test, the zone of inhibition were 25, 9, 10, 10 and 15 mm, respectively. The results showed that the antilisteric activities of essential oils of T. daensis and M. officinalis were superior than that of other essential oils.

A. Nabinedjad

Papers

Anti-listerial Activity of Essential Oils of Some Plants