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Journal ArticleDOI

Antimicrobial activity of essential oils and other plant extracts

01 Jun 1999-Journal of Applied Microbiology (Wiley-Blackwell)-Vol. 86, Iss: 6, pp 985-990
TL;DR: The results of this study support the notion that plant essential oils and extracts may have a role as pharmaceuticals and preservatives.
Abstract: The antimicrobial activity of plant oils and extracts has been recognized for many years. However, few investigations have compared large numbers of oils and extracts using methods that are directly comparable. In the present study, 52 plant oils and extracts were investigated for activity against Acinetobacter baumanii, Aeromonas veronii biogroup sobria, Candida albicans, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotype typhimurium, Serratia marcescens and Staphylococcus aureus, using an agar dilution method. Lemongrass, oregano and bay inhibited all organisms at concentrations of ≤ 2.0% (v/v). Six oils did not inhibit any organisms at the highest concentration, which was 2.0% (v/v) oil for apricot kernel, evening primrose, macadamia, pumpkin, sage and sweet almond. Variable activity was recorded for the remaining oils. Twenty of the plant oils and extracts were investigated, using a broth microdilution method, for activity against C. albicans, Staph. aureus and E. coli. The lowest minimum inhibitory concentrations were 0.03% (v/v) thyme oil against C. albicans and E. coli and 0.008% (v/v) vetiver oil against Staph. aureus. These results support the notion that plant essential oils and extracts may have a role as pharmaceuticals and preservatives.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Sara A. Burt1
TL;DR: In vitro studies have demonstrated antibacterial activity of essential oils (EOs) against Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Shigella dysenteria, Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus at levels between 0.2 and 10 microl ml(-1).

9,091 citations


Cites background or methods from "Antimicrobial activity of essential..."

  • ...…et al., 1995; Hammer et al., 1999) (Hammer et al., 1999) (Hammer et al., 1999) (Hammer et al., 1999) (Farag et al., 1989; Smith-Palmer et al., 1998; Hammer et al., 1999) (Shelef et al., 1984; Hammer et al., 1999) (Shelef et al., 1984; Farag et al., 1989; Smith-Palmer et al., 1998; Hammer et al.,…...

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  • ..., 2001) Viable count (Beuchat, 1976; Shelef et al., 1984; Tassou et al., 1995; Sivropoulou et al., 1996; Hammer et al., 1999; Pol and Smid, 1999; Koidis et al., 2000; Skandamis et al., 2000; Canillac and Mourey, 2001; Periago and Moezelaar, 2001; Periago et al., 2001; Friedman et al., 2002) Determination of rapidity and duration of antibacterial activity Time-kill analysis/Survival curves (Beuchat, 1976; Shelef et al....

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  • ...…(Farag et al., 1989; Smith-Palmer et al., 1998; Cosentino et al., 1999; Hammer et al., 1999; Burt and Reinders, 2003) 20 (Cosentino et al., 1999; Hammer et al., 1999) (Farag et al., 1989; Smith-Palmer et al., 1998; Cosentino et al., 1999; Hammer et al., 1999) 45 (Firouzi et al., 1998;…...

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  • ...MICs for a particular EO on a particular bacterial isolate have been shown to be generally slightly lower in broth than in agar (Hammer et al., 1999)....

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  • ...…et al., 1998; Hammer et al., 1999) (Shelef et al., 1984; Hammer et al., 1999) (Shelef et al., 1984; Farag et al., 1989; Smith-Palmer et al., 1998; Hammer et al., 1999) (Smith-Palmer et al., 1998) (Farag et al., 1989; Smith-Palmer et al., 1998; Hammer et al., 1999) (Hammer et al., 1999) (Farag et…...

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An overview of current knowledge about the antibacterial properties and antibacterial mode of action of essential oils and their constituents is provided, and research avenues that can facilitate implementation of essential oil constituents as natural preservatives in foods are identified.
Abstract: Essential oils are aromatic and volatile liquids extracted from plants. The chemicals in essential oils are secondary metabolites, which play an important role in plant defense as they often possess antimicrobial properties. The interest in essential oils and their application in food preservation has been amplified in recent years by an increasingly negative consumer perception of synthetic preservatives. Furthermore, food-borne diseases are a growing public health problem worldwide, calling for more effective preservation strategies. The antibacterial properties of essential oils and their constituents have been documented extensively. Pioneering work has also elucidated the mode of action of a few essential oil constituents, but detailed knowledge about most of the compounds’ mode of action is still lacking. This knowledge is particularly important to predict their effect on different microorganisms, how they interact with food matrix components, and how they work in combination with other antimicrobial compounds. The main obstacle for using essential oil constituents as food preservatives is that they are most often not potent enough as single components, and they cause negative organoleptic effects when added in sufficient amounts to provide an antimicrobial effect. Exploiting synergies between several compounds has been suggested as a solution to this problem. However, little is known about which interactions lead to synergistic, additive, or antagonistic effects. Such knowledge could contribute to design of new and more potent antimicrobial blends, and to understand the interplay between the constituents of crude essential oils. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of current knowledge about the antibacterial properties and antibacterial mode of action of essential oils and their constituents, and to identify research avenues that can facilitate implementation of essential oils as natural preservatives in foods.

1,509 citations


Cites background from "Antimicrobial activity of essential..."

  • ...INTRODUCTION Essential oils are aromatic and volatile liquids extracted from plant material, such as flowers, roots, bark, leaves, seeds, peel, fruits, wood, and whole plant (Deans and Ritchie, 1987; Hammer et al., 1999; Sánchez et al., 2010)....

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  • ...Essential oils are aromatic and volatile liquids extracted from plant material, such as flowers, roots, bark, leaves, seeds, peel, fruits, wood, and whole plant (Deans and Ritchie, 1987; Hammer et al., 1999; Sánchez et al., 2010)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper aims to review recent in-food applications of EOs and plant-origin natural antimicrobials and recent techniques for screening such compounds.

1,183 citations


Cites background from "Antimicrobial activity of essential..."

  • ...…Arques et al. (2008), Ben Sassi et al. (2008), Fisher and Phillips (2006), Friedman (2007), Gutierrez et al. (2008a), Gutierrez et al. (2008b), Hammer et al. (1999), Kuete et al. (2008), Kwon et al. (2007), Lambert et al. (2001), Lopez et al. (2007), Musyimi et al. (2008), Singh et al.…...

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  • ...…acetone extracts of 14 plants belonging to different families, thymol Davidson and Naidu (2000), Friedman (2007), Gutierrez et al. (2008a), 2008b), Hammer et al. (1999), Kong et al. (2007), Kuete et al. (2008), Singh et al. (2007), Seydim and Sarikus (2006), Vagahasiya and Chanda (2007), and…...

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors summarizes the experi- mental knowledge on efficacy, possible modes of action, and aspects of application of phytogenic products as feed additives for swine and poultry. But the assumption that phytogen compounds might prove the palatability of feed has not yet been confirmed by choice-feeding studies.
Abstract: This article summarizes the experi- mental knowledge on efficacy, possible modes of action, and aspects of application of phytogenic products as feed additives for swine and poultry Phytogenic feed additives comprise a wide variety of herbs, spices, and products derived thereof, and are mainly essential oils The assumption that phytogenic compounds might im- provethe palatabilityof feedhas notyetbeen confirmed by choice-feeding studies Although numerous studies have demonstrated antioxidative and antimicrobial ef- ficacy in vitro, respective experimental in vivo evidence is still quite limited The same applies to the supposi- tion that phytogenic compounds may specifically en- hance activities of digestive enzymes and nutrient ab- sorption Nevertheless, a limited number of experimen- tal comparisons of phytogenic feed additives with antibiotics and organic acids have suggested similar

1,152 citations


Cites background from "Antimicrobial activity of essential..."

  • ...Herbs and spices are well known to exert antimicrobial actions in vitro against important pathogens, including fungi (Adam et al., 1998; Smith-Palmer et al., 1998; Hammer et al., 1999; Dorman and Deans, 2000; Burt, 2004; Si et al., 2006; Özer et al., 2007)....

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  • ...Herbs and spices are well known to exert antimicrobial actions in vitro against important pathogens, including fungi (Adam et al., 1998; Smith-Palmer et al., 1998; Hammer et al., 1999; Dorman and Deans, 2000; Burt, 2004; Si et al., 2006; Özer et al., 2007)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An improved method of sample preparation was used in a microplate assay to evaluate the bactericidal activity levels of 96 essential oils and 23 oil compounds against Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella enterica obtained from food and clinical sources.

1,116 citations


Cites background or methods from "Antimicrobial activity of essential..."

  • ...In a study of the antimicrobial activities of 52 essential oils against different microbial species, thyme oil was reported to be one of the most active oils against a strain of E. coli, with a reported MIC of 0.09% (10)....

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  • ...0% inhibited the growth of all organisms tested (10)....

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  • ...These results extend the more limited ndings of Kim et al. (15, 16), who used a paper-disk method to assess the MICs and bactericidal concentrations of several oil compounds against E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, L. monocytogenes, and Vibrio vulni cus....

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  • ...Types of assays described include the measurement of (i) the zone of inhibition of bacterial growth around paper disks containing a plant antimicrobial compound on tryptic soy agar (15), (ii) the minimum concentration necessary to inhibit the growth of bacteria (MIC) (7, 10, 32), (iii) the inhibition of bacterial growth on an agar medium with an antimicrobial compound diffused in the agar (28), and (iv) the comparative bacteriostatic activities of cinnamon and other oils as determined by an agar diffusion assay versus those as determined by a serial-dilution assay (42)....

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  • ...BA50 was chosen as the measure of bactericidal activity because it can be obtained from the linear part of the dose-response plots of a dilution series, although other measures of bactericidal activities, such as MIC for 99.9% kill, can be obtained from the full dilution series (dose-responseplots) shown in Figure 1....

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References
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Book
01 Jan 1983
TL;DR: The Merck Index as discussed by the authors is a one-volume encyclopedia of chemicals, drugs and biologicals that contains more than 10,000 monographs, each monograph is a concise description of a single substance or a small group of closely related compounds.
Abstract: The Merck Index is a one-volume encyclopedia of chemicals, drugs and biologicals that contains more than 10,000 monographs. Each monograph in this authoritative reference source is a concise description of a single substance or a small group of closely related compounds. Compounds included: * human and veterinary drugs * biotech drugs and monoclonal antibodies * substances used for medical imaging * biologicals and natural products * plants and traditional medicines * nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals * agriculturals, pesticides and herbicides * Organic chemicals used in research * Food additives and supplements * dyes, colors and indicators * environmentally significant substances Information provided: * chemical, common and generic names * Over 15,000 trademarks and associated companies * CAS Registry Numbers for over 12,000 compounds * Over 8,500 chemical structures * molecular formulae, weights and percentage composition * capsule statements identifying compound classes and scientific significance * scientific and patent literature references * physical and toxicity data * therapeutic and commercial uses * caution and hazard information In addition, there are more than 700 new and completely revised monographs, thousands of new references, trademarks and uses added to existing monographs. Now includes a companion CD-ROM which features 989 monographs no longer available in print, organic name reactions, supplemental tables and a new user interface for user-friendly searching. Features of the CD: * Searchable by keywords, references, and numerical properties * Search the complete contents of the 14th edition, plus nearly a thousand monographs archived from previous editions * Comes with a free one-year subscription to the Merck Index Internet Edition * Windows-compatible CD powered by CambridgeSoft's ChemFinder * Extensively revised supplemental tables now including acronyms, vaccines, and physical constants * More than 70 pages of hard to find information in one easy-to-use place

4,478 citations

Book
01 Feb 1996
TL;DR: In this article, a general introduction to the monographs general references monographs is given, along with a 20 appendices list of the main monographs and their corresponding appendices.
Abstract: How to use this book introduction to the monographs general references monographs. 20 appendices.

1,091 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Gram‐positive bacteria were more sensitive to inhibition by plant essential oils than the Gram‐negative bacteria, and Staphylococcus aureus was extremely sensitive to the oil of nutmeg.
Abstract: The antimicrobial properties of 21 plant essential oils and two essences were investigated against five important food-borne pathogens, Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella enteritidis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes. The oils of bay, cinnamon, clove and thyme were the most inhibitory, each having a bacteriostatic concentration of 0.075% or less against all five pathogens. In general, Gram-positive bacteria were more sensitive to inhibition by plant essential oils than the Gram-negative bacteria. Campylobacter jejuni was the most resistant of the bacteria investigated to plant essential oils, with only the oils of bay and thyme having a bacteriocidal concentration of less than 1%. At 35 degrees C, L. monocytogenes was extremely sensitive to the oil of nutmeg. A concentration of less than 0.01% was bacteriostatic and 0.05% was bacteriocidal, but when the temperature was reduced to 4 degrees, the bacteriostatic concentration was increased to 0.5% and the bacteriocidal concentration to greater than 1%.

1,058 citations


"Antimicrobial activity of essential..." refers background or methods in this paper

  • ...Oils such as sweet almond, carrot and mandarin were shown to possess little or no antimicrobial activity (Morris et al. 1979; Deans and Ritchie 1987; Smith-Palmer et al. 1998)....

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  • ...A method frequently used to screen plant extracts for antimicrobial activity is the agar disc diffusion technique (Morris et al. 1979; Smith-Palmer et al. 1998)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The ten most inhibitory oils were thyme, cinnamon, bay, clove, almond (bitter), lovage, pimento, marjoram, angelica and nutmeg.

912 citations


"Antimicrobial activity of essential..." refers background in this paper

  • ...While some of the oils used on the basis of their reputed antimicrobial properties have well documented in vitro activity, there are few published data for many others (Morris et al. 1979; Ross et al. 1980; Yousef and Tawil 1980; Deans and Ritchie 1987; Hili et al. 1997)....

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  • ...Oils such as sweet almond, carrot and mandarin were shown to possess little or no antimicrobial activity (Morris et al. 1979; Deans and Ritchie 1987; Smith-Palmer et al. 1998)....

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