Effects of oregano, cinnamon, and sweet fennel essential oils and their blends on foodborne microorganisms

Melo, N. R.; Ventura, L. A. F.; Costa, B. S.; Ribeiro-Santos, R.; Santos, D. C.

Effects of oregano, cinnamon, and sweet fennel essential oils and their blends on foodborne microorganisms

2018

Melo, N. R. | Ventura, L. A. F. | Costa, B. S. | Ribeiro-Santos, R. | Santos, D. C.

Essential oils (EO) have stood out for their potential application as antimicrobial agents, playing an important role in ensuring food quality and safety. In addition, the synergistic effect of EO blends can improve action spectrum for more effective applications. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial activity of oregano, sweet fennel, and cinnamon EOs, and their blends, against the pathogenic bacteria Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, and the fungus Penicillium spp. The antimicrobial activity was determined by the diskdiffusion method, at both microbial optimal growth temperature and refrigeration temperature. Different EO volumes were investigated, and an effective inhibition was observed for the concentration of 3 μL. Oregano EO has proven to be effective in all assays, when compared to the EO combinations.

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