Antifungal Activity of Aromatic Plants of the Lamiaceae Family in Bread

Abstract

The antifungal effect of aromatic plants (oregano, thyme, and Satureja) in dry form and as essential oils was evaluated in vitro (in potato dextrose agar (PDA)) and in bread against two phytopathogenic fungi found in food (Aspergillusniger and Penicillium). Gas and liquid chromatography were used to analyze essential oils attained by hydrodistillation of the aerial parts of the aromatic plants and of the dried plant aqueous solutions that were autoclaved for 20 min at 121 °C before analysis. Carvacrol, α-pinene, p-cymene, and γ-terpinene were the main components of the essential oils, whereas carvacrol, rosmarinic and caffeic acids were the main components of the water extracts. In vitro antifungal test results showed that the addition of plants in dry form had great antifungal potential against both fungal strains studied. Penicillium was more sensitive to the presence of aromatic plants than Aspergillus. Among the three plant species tested, thyme was the most potent antifungal against both fungi. For the bread product, all three aromatic plants studied showed inhibitory effects against both fungi. Results presented here suggest that oregano, thyme and Satureja incorporated in a bread recipe possess antimicrobial properties and are a potential source of antimicrobial ingredients for the food industry.

Lamiaceae Essential Oils, Phytochemical Profile, Antioxidant, and Biological Activities

“…Results showed that the addition of essential oils had significant effect ( p < 0.05) on decreasing their colony surface area. Thus, oregano ( O. vulgare ), thyme ( Thymus capitatus ), and pink savory ( S. thymbra ) can be incorporated into bread recipes and be used in the food industry, as they have antimicrobial properties [ 147 ].…”

Statistical Approach to Potentially Enhance the Postbiotication of Gluten-Free Sourdough

“…strains was delayed by 3 days when a whole wheat sourdough inoculated with selected strains of L. plantarum was used [56]. The same effect was observed when 30% (w/w) of a commercial sourdough was used [80] or essential oils from aromatic plants [81], respectively, when a mixture of eugenol-citral was added to the wheat bread doughs [82].…”

Characterization and Antimicrobial Properties of Essential Oils from Four Wild Taxa of Lamiaceae Family Growing in Apulia

“…EOs can be applied as ingredients in the bread formulation, as additives in the packaging or in combination with other technologies (hurdle technology) to prolong the product shelf-life. Recently, Skendi et al [28] tested the effect of three aromatic plants belonging to the Lamiaceae family (oregano, thyme, and Satureja) as EOs or in dry form directly in the bread formulation. According to our results, the authors detected carvacrol, α-pinene, p-cymene, and γ-terpinene as main components and observed that both forms of addition (essential oil and dry material) resulted in a higher efficacy against the Penicillium spp.…”

“…Most of the species belonging to the family are aromatic and possess essential oils (EOs) making them valuable in cosmetics, perfumery, food, agriculture, and medicine [24,25]. The use of Lamiaceae species as antimicrobial agents for bread and bakery products preservation has also been reported [7,[26][27][28][29].…”