Antimicrobial effects and determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) methods of essential oils against pathogenic bacteria

Food borne illness resulting from consumption of food contaminated with pathogenic bacteria has been of vital concern to public health. Consumers are also concerned about the safety of foods containing synthetic preservatives. To reduce health hazards and economic losses due to food borne microorganisms, the use of natural products as antibacterial compounds seems to be an interesting way to control the presence of pathogenic bacteria and to extend the shelf life of processed food. Among these compounds extracts from spices, medicinal plants and herbs have been shown possess antimicrobial activities and could serve as a source of antimicrobial agents against food pathogens. edible plants can be a potential source for inhibitory substances for some foodborne pathogens. Owing to the strong antibacterial activity of the essential oils they can be used as effective alternatives for food preservation. With regards to the low amount of the essential oil used for growth inhibition, probably it will not exhibit undesirable effects on organoleptic properties of foods. In the present study the principles of the essential oils, different methods of Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and mode of action of the essential oils are discussed.