Antimicrobial activity of Pelargonium essential oils added to a quiche‐filling as a model food system

Abstract

Eight essential oils obtained by steam distillation from the scented leaves of Pelargonium species and cultivars were added at 250, 500 and 1000 ppm to a quiche filling, inoculated with either Saccharomyces ludwigii or Zygosaccharomyces bailii (at 108 cfu g−1), Salmonella enteriditis or Listeria innocua (at 109 cfu g_1). The quiche fillings were then kept at 25 °C for 24 h and the residual number of micro‐organisms determined using the pour plate technique. There was an effective antimicrobial activity by the Pelargonium essential oils at 250 ppm, comparable with that of commercial thyme oil, an excellent antimicrobial agent, against Saccharomyces ludwigii and Zygosaccharomyces bailii, and a lesser inhibition compared with commercial thyme against Salm. enteriditis. There was a greater diversity of activity against L. innocua, which was in some cases more effective than commercial thyme oil. At 500 ppm, there was a greatly increased inhibition of microbial growth using the Pelargonium essential oils, which was comparable with that of commercial thyme, clove, geranium and coriander oils. As there is no evidence for the toxicity of any of these novel Pelargonium oils, and their odour does not make the delicately flavoured quiche filling unpalatable, there is a strong potential for their use in food processing.

Efficiency of Anacardic Acid as Preservative in Tomato Products

“…Room temperature was selected for the study because of the fact that the killing effect of antimicrobial agents is expected to be more at room temperature (Mossel and de Bruin 1960; Lis‐Balchin et al. 1998; Smith‐Palmer et al.…”

Antimicrobial Activity of Some Essential Oils Against Microorganisms Deteriorating Fruit Juices

“…In the present study linalool (as a component of lemongrass oil) and linalyl acetate (as a component of origanum oil) are present also in Salvia sclarea essential oil, both exhibited antifungal activity against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum , Sclerotium cepivorum and Fusarium oxysporum (Pitarokili et al, 2002). It has been concluded that the antimicrobial activity of essential oils can differ from that of their major constituents when tested separately probably due to the presence of synergistic or antagonistic effects resulting from the minor components (Lis-Balchin et al, 1998a, b; Pitarokili et al, 2002). …”

Topical Hemostatic Effect of a Common Ornamental Plant, the Geraniaceae Pelargonium zonale

“…The geraniin has a protective effect of gastric mucosa against ethanol damage, 9 and it seems to have an antihypertensive effect in rats 10 . The geranium also has antibacterial, fungicidal, and antiherpes virus action 11 , 12 and potential use in food processing 6 . An insect repellent effect and a radioprotective action also have been reported 13 , 14…”

“…Traditional oral references from the Andean people mention the benefits of geranium crushed leaves to stop bleeding on wounds or epistaxis (nasal bleeding) without conspicuous side effects. The common geranium, a popular ornamental and odorant plant, has some interesting biological and reported medicinal effects 4 – 6 that suggest that its use is at least nontoxic. However, there are no scientific references about its hemostatic effect.…”