Essential Oils and Their Major Components: An Updated Review on Antimicrobial Activities, Mechanism of Action and Their Potential Application in the Food Industry

Abstract

A novel alternative to synthetic preservatives is the use of natural products such as essential oil (EO) as a natural food-grade preservative. EOs are Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), so they could be considered an alternative way to increase the shelf-life of highly perishable food products by impeding the proliferation of food-borne pathogens. The mounting interest within the food industry and consumer preference for “natural” and “safe” products means that scientific evidence on plant-derived essential oils (EOs) needs to be examined in-depth, including the underlying mechanisms of action. Understanding the mechanism of action that individual components of EO exert on the cell is imperative to design strategies to eradicate food-borne pathogens. Results from published works showed that most EOs are more active against Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative bacteria due to the difference in the cell wall structure. In addition, the application of EOs at a commercial scale has been minimal, as their flavour and odour could be imparted to food. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the research carried out on EOs, emphasizing the antibacterial activity of fruit peel EOs, and the antibacterial mechanism of action of the individual components of EOs. A brief outline of recent contributions of EOs in the food matrix is highlighted. The findings from the literature have been encouraging, and further research is recommended to develop strategies for the application of EO at an industrial scale.

Exploitation of Marginal Hilly Land in Tuscany through the Cultivation of Lavandula angustifolia Mill.: Characterization of Its Essential Oil and Antibacterial Activity

“…The best inhibiting results, as widely found in the literature [ 27 , 28 ], were against Gram-positive bacteria, with MIC values as low as 1:16 against all three strains tested from the EO of first-year plants to values of 1:128 for Listeria monocytogenes for the EOs of fourth-year plants.…”

Determination of Volatile Compounds of Mentha piperita and Lavandula multifida and Investigation of Their Antibacterial, Antioxidant, and Antidiabetic Properties

“…The Lavandula stoechas cultivars that came from Thailand have remarkable antibacterial activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella typhimurium [ 43 ]. Moreover, numerous in vitro and in vivo investigations indicate that EOs from different medicinal plants have remarkable antimicrobial effects against a broad spectrum of pathogens [ 44 ]. Essential oils with antibacterial activity may have benefits over antibiotics in that their antibacterial properties may have beneficial effects on the digestive organs, such as preventing the spread of potentially harmful microbes without influencing the normal flora or regulating dysbiosis [ 45 ].…”

Antiviral Activity of Selected Lamiaceae Essential Oils and Their Monoterpenes Against SARS-Cov-2

“…Terpenes are usually isolated from plants as the natural mixture called essential oils that have been used for different remedies against different non-infectious and infectious diseases since ancient times ( Dzubak et al, 2006 ; Jamshidi-Kia et al, 2018 ). Due to this, the pharmacological properties of essential oils and their terpene components have been analyzed extensively studied ( Angane et al, 2022 ), and their different antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities were reported ( Amorati et al, 2013 ; Wani et al, 2021 ; Esmaeili et al, 2022 ; Singh et al, 2022 ).…”