Screening essential oils for their antimicrobial activities against the foodborne pathogenic bacteria and .

The application of essential oils as antimicrobials is a current subject of research and a promising approach in terms of natural food preservation. Due to the diversity of EO producing plant genera and the inconsistent use of susceptibility testing methods, information on the antibacterial potency of many EO varieties is fragmentary. This study was performed to assess the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 179 EO samples from 86 plant varieties, using a single method approach, excluding emulsifying agents. MICs were acquired in a broth microdilution assay, using a dispersion based approach to incorporate EOs in a concentration range of 6400 to 50 μg/ml. and were used as model bacteria. At concentrations below 400 μg/ml was inhibited by 30, by 12 EO varieties. (50 μg/ml vs. ) (50 μg/ml vs. , 200 μg/ml vs. ) essential oils were identified as promising new antimicrobial EO candidates with significant antimicrobial activity against the two foodborne pathogenic bacteria.