Abstract
In our research on natural compounds efficient against human pathogen or opportunist microorganisms contracted by food or water, the antimicrobial activity of 19 essential oils (EOs) was investigated against 11 bacterial species (6 Gram positive, 5 Gram negative) and 7 fungal species (2 dermatophytes, 1 mould, 4 yeasts) using microdilution assays. Five essential oils were obtained from Tunisian plants (EOtun): Artemisia herba-alba Asso, Juniperus phoenicea L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Ruta graveolens L. and Thymus vulgaris L., whereas others were commercial products (EOcom). Overall, T. vulgaris EOtun was the most efficient EO against both bacteria (Gram negative: MIC ≤ 0.34 mg/mL; Gram positive: MIC ≤ 0.70 mg/mL) and fungi (yeasts: MIC ≤ 0.55 mg/mL; mould: MIC = 0.30 mg/mL; dermatophytes: MIC ≤ 0.07 mg/mL). Two EOcom displayed both acceptable antibacterial and antifungal potency, although weaker than T. vulgaris EOtun activity: Origanum vulgare EOcom (bacteria: MIC ≤ 1.13 mg/mL, fungi: MIC ≤ 1.80 mg/mL), and Cymbopogon martinii var. motia EOcom (bacteria: MIC ≤ 1.00 mg/mL, fungi: MIC ≤ 0.80 mg/mL). Bacillus megaterium, Legionella pneumophila, Listeria monocytogenes and Trichophyton spp. were the most sensitive species to both EOcom and EOtun. This study demonstrated the noteworthy antimicrobial activity of two commercial EOs and points out the remarkable efficiency of T. vulgaris EOtun on all tested bacterial and fungal species, certainly associated with its high content in carvacrol (85 %). These three oils could thus represent promising candidates for applications in water and food protections.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ait-Ouazzou A, Lorán S, Arakrak A, Laglaoui A, Rota C, Herrera A, Pagan R, Conchello P (2012) Evaluation of the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Mentha pulegium, Juniperus phoenicea, and Cyperus longus essential oils from Morocco. Food Res Int 45:313–319
Appendini P, Hotchkiss JH (2002) Review of antimicrobial food packaging. Innovative Food Sci Emerg Technol 3:113–126
Baatour O, Tarchoune I, Mahmoudi H, Nassri N, Abidi W, Kaddour R, Hamdaoui G, Ben Nasri-Ayachi M, Lachaâl M, Marzouk B (2012) Culture conditions and salt effects on essential oil composition of sweet marjoram (Origanum majorana) from Tunisia. Acta Pharm 62:251–261
Bassolé IHN, Lamien-Meda A, Bayala B, Obame LC, Ilboudo AJ, Franz C, Novak J, Nebié RC, Dicko MH (2011) Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Cymbopogon citratus and Cymbopogon giganteus essential oils alone and in combination. Phytomedicine 18:1070–1074
Batish DR, Singh HP, Kohli RK, Kaur S (2008) Eucalyptus essential oil as a natural pesticide. For Ecol Manage 256:2166–2174
Bourgou S, Rahali FZ, Ourghemmi I, Saidani Tounsi M (2012) Changes of peel essential oil composition of four Tunisian citrus during fruit maturation. ScientificWorldJournal 2012:528–593
Braga PC, Sasso MD, Culici M, Alfieri M (2007) Eugenol and thymol, alone or in combination, induce morphological alterations in the envelope of Candida albicans. Fitoterapia 78:396–400
Burt S (2004) Essential oils: their antibacterial properties and potential applications in foods – a review. Int J Food Microbiol 94:223–253
Chaftar N, Girardot M, Quellard N, Labanowski J, Ghrairi T, Hani K, Frère J, Imbert C (2015) Anti Legionella pneumophila activity of six essential oils extracted from Tunisian plants. Chem Biodiv In press. doi:10.1002/cbdv.201400343
Chaieb K, Hajlaoui H, Zmantar T, Ben Kahla-Nakbi A, Rouabhia M, Mahdouani K, Bakhrouf A (2007) The chemical composition and biological activity of clove essential oil, Eugenia caryophyllata (Syzigium aromaticum L. Myrtaceae): a short review. Phytother Res 21:501–506
Chami F, Chami N, Bennis S, Bouchikhi T, Remmal A (2005) Oregano and clove essential oils induce surface alteration of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Phytother Res 19:405–408
Damjanovic-Vratnica B, Dakov T, Sukovic D, Damjanovic J (2011) Antimicrobial effect of essential oil isolated from Eucalyptus globulus Labill. from Montenegro. Czech J Food Sci 29:277–284
de Sousa JP, de Azeredo GA, de Araujo Torres R, da Silva Vasconcelos MA, da Conceicao ML, de Souza EL (2012) Synergies of carvacrol and 1,8-cineole to inhibit bacteria associated with minimally processed vegetables. Int J Food Microbiol 154:145–151
Edris AE, Malone CFR (2012) Preferential solubilization behaviours and stability of some phenolic-bearing essential oils formulated in different microemulsion systems. Int J Cosmet Sci 34:441–445
Espina L, Garcia-Gonzalo D, Laglaoui A, Mackey BM, Pagan R (2013) Synergistic combinations of high hydrostatic pressure and essential oils or their constituents and their use in preservation of fruit juices. Int J Food Microbiol 161:23–30
Fernandez-Pan I, Royo M, Ignacio Mate J (2012) Antimicrobial activity of whey protein isolate edible films with essential oils against food spoilers and foodborne pathogens. J Food Sci 77:M383–M390
Friedman M, Henika PR, Mandrell RE (2002) Bactericidal activities of plant essential oils and some of their isolated constituents against Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella enterica. J Food Prot 65:1545–1560
Fu Y, Zu Y, Chen L, Shi X, Wang Z, Sun S, Efferth T (2007) Antimicrobial activity of clove and rosemary essential oils alone and in combination. Phytother Res 21:989–994
Giordani R, Regli P, Kaloustian J, Mikaïl C, Abou L, Portugal H (2004) Antifungal effect of various essential oils against Candida albicans. Potentiation of antifungal action of amphotericin B by essential oil from Thymus vulgaris. Phytother Res 18:990–995
Hammer KA, Carson CF, Riley TV (2012) Effects of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) essential oil and the major monoterpene component terpinen-4-ol on the development of single- and multistep antibiotic resistance and antimicrobial susceptibility. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 56:909–915
Hulankova R, Borilova G, Steinhauserova I (2013) Combined antimicrobial effect of oregano essential oil and caprylic acid in minced beef. Meat Sci 95:190–194
Hussain AI, Anwar F, Sherazi STH, Przybylski R (2008) Chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of basil (Ocimum basilicum) essential oils depends on seasonal variations. Food Chem 108:986–995
Iscan G, Kirimer N, Kurkcuoglu M, Baser KHC, Demirci F (2002) Antimicrobial screening of Mentha piperita essential oils. J Agric Food Chem 50:3943–3946
Khan MS, Malik A, Ahmad I (2012) Anti-candidal activity of essential oils alone and in combination with amphotericin B or fluconazole against multi-drug resistant isolates of Candida albicans. Med Mycol 50:33–42
Kisko G, Roller S (2005) Carvacrol and ρ-cymene inactivate Escherichia coli O157:H7 in apple juice. BMC Microbiol 5:36
Lima IO, de Medeiros Nobrega F, de Oliveira WA, de Oliveira Lima E, Albuquerque Menezes E, Cunha FA, Formiga Melo Diniz Mde F (2012) Anti-Candida albicans effectiveness of citral and investigation of mode of action. Pharm Biol 50:1536–1541
López P, Sánchez C, Batlle R, Nerín C (2007) Development of flexible antimicrobial films using essential oils as active agents. J Agric Food Chem 55:8814–8824
Meepagala KM, Schrader KK, Wedge DE, Duke SO (2005) Algicidal and antifungal compounds from the roots of Ruta graveolens and synthesis of their analogs. Phytochem 66:2689–2695
Mighri H, Akrout A, El-jeni H, Zaidi S, Tomi F, Casanova J, Neffati M (2010a) Composition and intraspecific chemical variability of the essential oil from Artemisia herba-alba growing wild in a Tunisian arid zone. Chem Biodivers 7:2709–2717
Mighri H, Hajlaoui H, Akrout A, Najjaa H, Neffati M (2010b) Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Artemisia herba-alba essential oil cultivated in Tunisian arid zone. C R Chim 13:380–386
Mohsen H, Ali F (2009) Essential oil composition of Artemisia herba-alba from southern Tunisia. Molecules 14:1585–1594
Muriel-Galet V, López-Carballo G, Gavara R, Hernández-Muñoz P (2012) Antimicrobial food packaging film based on the release of LAE from EVOH. Int J Food Microbiol 157:239–244
Nenoff P, Haustein UF, Brandt W (1996) Antifungal activity of the essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree oil) against pathogenic fungi in vitro. Skin Pharmacol 9:388–394
Park MJ, Gwak KS, Yang I, Kim KW, Jeung EB, Chang JW, Choi IG (2009) Effect of citral, eugenol, nerolidol and alpha-terpineol on the ultrastructural changes of Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Fitoterapia 80:290–296
Pattnaik S, Subramanyam VR, Bapaji M, Kole CR (1997) Antibacterial and antifungal activity of aromatic constituents of essential oils. Microbios 89:39–46
Pinto E, Pina-Vaz C, Salgueiro L, Goncalves MJ, Costa-de-Oliveira S, Cavaleiro C, Palmeira A, Rodrigues A, Martinez-de-Oliveira J (2006) Antifungal activity of the essential oil of Thymus pulegioides on Candida, Aspergillus and dermatophyte species. J Med Microbiol 55:1367–1373
Pisseri F, Bertoli A, Nardoni S, Pinto L, Pistelli L, Guidi G, Mancianti F (2009) Antifungal activity of tea tree oil from Melaleuca alternifolia against Trichophyton equinum: an in vivo assay. Phytomedicine 16:1056–1058
Raman A, Weir U, Bloomfield SF (1995) Antimicrobial effects of tea-tree oil and its major components on Staphylococcus aureus, Staph. epidermidis and Propionibacterium acnes. Lett Appl Microbiol 21:242–245
Rattanachaikunsopon P, Phumkhachorn P (2010) Assessment of factors influencing antimicrobial activity of carvacrol and cymene against Vibrio cholerae in food. J Biosci Bioeng 110:614–619
Rouis Z, Elaissi A, Abid NB, Lassoued MA, Cioni PL, Flamini G, Aouni M (2012) Chemical composition and intraspecific variability of the essential oils of five populations of Hypericum triquetrifolium Turra growing in North Tunisia. Chem Biodivers 9:806–816
Shah B, Davidson PM, Zhong Q (2012) Nanocapsular dispersion of thymol for enhanced dispersibility and increased antimicrobial effectiveness against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes in model food systems. Appl Environ Microbiol 78:8448–8453
Stashenko EE, Acosta R, Martinez JR (2000) High-resolution gas-chromatographic analysis of the secondary metabolites obtained by subcritical-fluid extraction from Colombian rue (Ruta graveolens L.). J Biochem Biophys Methods 43:379–390
Sudjana AN, Carson CF, Carson KC, Riley TV, Hammer KA (2012) Candida albicans adhesion to human epithelial cells and polystyrene and formation of biofilm is reduced by sub-inhibitory Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) essential oil. Med Mycol 50:863–870
Trombetta D, Castelli F, Sarpietro MG, Venuti V, Cristani M, Daniele C, Saija A, Mazzanti G, Bisignano G (2005) Mechanisms of antibacterial action of three monoterpenes. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 49:2474–2478
Ultee A, Slump RA, Steging G, Smid EJ (2000) Antimicrobial activity of carvacrol toward Bacillus cereus on rice. J Food Prot 63:620–624
Vale-Silva L, Silva MJ, Oliveira D, Goncalves MJ, Cavaleiro C, Salgueiro L, Pinto E (2012) Correlation of the chemical composition of essential oils from Origanum vulgare subsp. virens with their in vitro activity against pathogenic yeasts and filamentous fungi. J Med Microbiol 61:252–260
Verdon J, Berjeaud JM, Lacombe C, Héchard Y (2008) Characterization of anti-Legionella activity of warnericin RK and delta-lysin I from Staphylococcus warneri. Peptides 29:978–984
Xu J, Zhou F, Ji BP, Pei RS, Xu N (2008) The antibacterial mechanism of carvacrol and thymol against Escherichia coli. Lett Appl Microbiol 47:174–179
Zouari N, Ayadi I, Fakhfakh N, Rebai A, Zouari S (2012) Variation of chemical composition of essential oils in wild populations of Thymus algeriensis Boiss. et Reut., a North African endemic species. Lipids Health Dis 11:28
Acknowledgments
This Work was partially supported by grants from the CMCU (09G824), PHC Utique and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Tunisia. The authors would like to acknowledge Mrs. Florine Steinthal and Professor Vic Norris for revising the English text.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Chaftar, N. et al. (2015). Comparative evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of 19 essential oils. In: Donelli, G. (eds) Advances in Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Public Health. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology(), vol 901. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/5584_2015_5011
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/5584_2015_5011
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-27934-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-27935-0
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)