Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils from Spices Against Psychrotrophic Food Spoilage Microorganisms

Antibacterial and Antifungal Activities of Spices

Infectious diseases caused by pathogens and food poisoning caused by spoilage microorganisms are threatening human health all over the world. The efficacies of some antimicrobial agents, which are currently used to extend shelf-life and increase the safety of food products in food industry and to inhibit disease-causing microorganisms in medicine, have been weakened by microbial resistance. Therefore, new antimicrobial agents that could overcome this resistance need to be discovered. Many spices-such as clove, oregano, thyme, cinnamon, and cumin-possessed significant antibacterial and antifungal activities against food spoilage bacteria like Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas fluorescens, pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus, harmful fungi like Aspergillus flavus, even antibiotic resistant microorganisms such as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Therefore, spices have a great potential to be developed as new and safe antimicrobial agents. This review summarizes scientific studies on the antibacterial and antifungal activities of several spices and their derivatives.

Antagonistic activity of Thymus vulgaris extracts against Vibrio species isolated from seafoods

This study examined the antibacterial activity of Thymus vulgaris on multiple antibiotic resistant (MAR) Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio fluvialis isolated from shrimps. The ethanol extract of T. vulgaris antibacterial properties was assessed using the agar diffusion method. Survival of test organisms in shrimp meat using different concentrations of T. vulgaris was done using standard method. The quantitative and qualitative phytochemical tests of T. vulgaris extract were determined. The ethanol extract had antimicrobial activities on the test organisms showing 20.00 ± 0.0 and 23.00 ± 0.0 mm zone of inhibition on V. parahaemolyticus and V. fluvialis respectively. T. vulgaris completely decreased microbial load of V. parahaemolyticus and V. fluvialis in 150 and 60 min, respectively. The phytochemical screening for the ethanol extract reported phenol, alkaloids, tannin, saponin, anthraquinone flavonoid and cardiac glycoside as 51.76, 26.60, 6.76, 54.33, 30.35 89.65 and 18.23 mg/100 g, respectively. This study reveals the antibacterial property of T. vulgaris on the MAR Vibrio species.

In vitro antifungal activity of dehydrozingerone and its fungitoxic properties

The efficacy of Dehydrozingerone (DZ; dehydroderivative of zingerone) as an antifungal agent and its mode of action against food spoilage fungal pathogens was studied and presented. DZ is a constituent of ginger (Zingiber officinale rhizomes) and structural half analogue of curcumin. Its efficacy against Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus ochraceus, Fusarium oxysporum and Penicillium chrysogenum was evaluated. Effect of DZ on the growth and sporulation of A. ochraceus was also studied. The fungal species were susceptible to DZ and the minimum inhibitory concentration and fungicidal concentration ranged from 755 to 911 μM and 880 to 1041 μM respectively. The mycelial and spore germination was significantly inhibited; reduction in the weight of the cell mass, carbohydrate, protein, DNA and RNA constituents in the cells isolated from cultures of A. ochraceus grown with DZ were observed. Scanning electron microscopy studies revealed morphological observations such as cell lysis, inhibition and morphological alterations in hyphae and sporulation in A. ochraceus on treatment with DZ.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

Current investigations revealed that DZ is a potential antifungal agent and can find application as an additive or adjuvant in food and pharmaceutical industries after appropriate toxicological studies.

The effects of thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) essential oils on Brochothrix thermosphacta and on the shelf life of beef packaged in high-oxygen modified atmosphere

The objective of the study was to determine the Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of thyme (29.4% thymol, 21.6% p-cymene) and rosemary essential oils (27.6% 1,8-cineole, 13.5% limonene, 13.0% β-pinene) against Brochothrix thermosphacta and to establish the feasibility of their use as components of modified atmosphere during beef refrigerated storage. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of thyme oil against B. thermosphacta is 0.05% and that of rosemary oil 0.5%. The MIC values are independent on strain and temperature of growth, however the bactericidal effects are strain dependent. The addition of any of oil at a concentration equal to 2MIC to the modified atmosphere (80% O(2)/20% CO(2)) does not significantly influence the microbial quality of meat. At the same time, such a concentration of the essential oils was considerably detrimental to the organoleptic factors.