Activity of essential oils against food-spoiling yeast. A review.

Abstract

Antifungal activity of eight essential oils against nine yeast species associated with food spoiling microflora was examined. The following commercial essential oils were tested: basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), onion (Allium cepa L.), garlic (Allium sativum L.), lemon (Citrus limon L. Burm. f.), grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macfad.), marjoram (Origanum majorana L.), peppermint (Mentha x piperita L.) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.). The yeast strains used in the study included Candida rugosa, Debaryomyces hansenii, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Rhodotorula glutinis, Rhodotorula minuta, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Trichosporon cutaneum, Yarrowia lipolytica and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii. The sensitivity of yeast strains was tested by the agar disc diffusion method. The activity of the essential oils was estimated by microplate bioassay and bioimpedimetric methods. All of the tested yeasts expressed the highest sensitivity to thyme oil (inhibition zones of 25.5-58.0 mm). Generally, onion and garlic oils were the least active and did not affect the majority of the tested strains. Thyme, marjoram, peppermint and basil oils were the most effective (MIC and MFC values ranging from 0.5 to 24.0 μl/ml) and can be used to inhibit yeasts contaminating food. Their application as natural preservatives will be tested in food matrices.

Antimicrobial Activity against Beneficial Microorganisms and Chemical Composition of Essential Oil of Mentha suaveolens ssp. insularis Grown in Sardinia

“…Indeed, this microorganism is the main agent of the alcoholic fermentation in wine, beer, and bakery industry but at the same time it could be involved in food spoilage. The EO of M. insularis inhibited the growth S. cerevisiae at the higher concentration (MIC 4 μL/mL) compared with other EOs such as the M. piperita , Origanum majorana EOs (MIC of 1 μL/mL for both) and Thymus vulgaris (MIC 0.5 μL/mL) (Kunicka‐Styczyńska ). No data were found, regarding the effects of EOs against C. zemplinina species.…”

Antifungal Activity of Propolis, Thyme Essential Oil and Hydrosol on Natural Mycobiota of Sucuk, a Turkish Fermented Sausage: Monitoring of Their Effects on Microbiological, Color and Aroma Properties

“…Antifungal activity of thyme EO ( Thymus vulgaris L.) was revealed by Kumar et al . (), Kunicka‐Styczyńska (), Liu et al . () and Viuda‐Martos et al .…”

Chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of essential oil of Thymus algeriensis wild-growing in Libya

“…Also, essential oils obtained from these species were utilized as flavor ingredients in a wide variety of foods, beverages and confectionery products, as well as in perfumery for the scenting of soaps and lotions. Several Thymus species are used as medicinal herbs, and they are known to possess antispasmodic, sedative, antiphlogistic, antiviral, antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal activities [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11].…”