Antimicrobial activity of several essential oils on pathogenic and beneficial bacteria

Published Date
Industrial Crops and Products
March 2017, Vol.97:128–136, doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2016.11.045

• Author 

• Carmen M.S. Ambrosio ^a,,
• Severino M. de Alencar ^a
• Ricardo L.M. de Sousa ^b
• Andrea M. Moreno ^c
• Eduardo M. Da Gloria ^a,

• aDepartment of Agroindustry, Food and Nutrition—ESALQ, University of São Paulo, SP, Brazil
• bFaculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering, University of São Paulo, SP, Brazil
• cSchool of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, SP, Brazil

Received 11 August 2016. Revised 8 November 2016. Accepted 21 November 2016. Available online 16 December 2016.

Highlights

• •
  Essential oils that are by-products of orange juice industry showed a good antibacterial performance.
• •
  Selective antibacterial performance on pathogenic and beneficial bacteria was observed.
• •
  The highest antibacterial performance was not correlated with selective activity on pathogenic and beneficial bacteria.

Abstract

The possibility to transfer antibiotic resistance from animal gut bacteria to human pathogens by animal source foods has stimulated the search for alternatives to replace the antibiotic use on animal production. Essential oils (EOs) and beneficial bacteria have been considered as alternatives. This study evaluated, in vitro, the antibacterial activity of EOs, individually and in binary blends, on pathogenic and beneficial bacteria that can occur in the swine and poultry gut. An initial screening was made with 28 EOs to verify their antibacterial activity on a model pathogenic bacterium Salmonella Enteritidis and a model probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus plantarum. The EOs from leaves of Eucalyptus globulus, E. exserta, Pimenta pseudocaryophylllus, and also two EOs, named Orange Oil Phase Essence, and Citrus Terpens, which are by-products of orange juice production, presented the greatest activity on pathogenic bacterium (S. Enteritidis) and the lowest activity on beneficial bacterium (L. plantarum). These five EOs were tested additionally, alone and in binary blends, against other four pathogenic bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis and Listeria innocua, and against other two beneficial bacteria: Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bacillus subtilis. Orange Oil Phase Essence and Citrus Terpens were oils that showed the greatest activity on pathogenic bacteria and the lowest activity on beneficial bacteria (p < 0.05), therefore presenting the best selective antibacterial activity between both groups of bacteria. The possibility of having a new usage for citrus EOs, which are by-products of the food industry, represents important information.

Keywords

Antibacterial activity

Essential oil

Pathogenic bacteria

Beneficial bacteria

Antibiotic alternative

Safe food

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• ⁎ 
  Corresponding author at: Department of Agroindustry, Food and Nutrition – ESALQ, University of São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Tel.: +551934225678.

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