Essential Oils as Natural Food Antimicrobial Agents: A Review

Food-borne illnesses pose a real scourge in the present scenario as the consumerism of packaged food has increased to a great extend. Pathogens entering the packaged foods may survive longer, which needs a check. Antimicrobial agents either alone or in combination are added to the food or packaging...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Critical reviews in food science and nutrition 2015-01, Vol.55 (10), p.1320-1323
Main Authors: Vergis, Jess, Gokulakrishnan, P, Agarwal, R. K, Kumar, Ashok
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anti-Infective Agents - analysis
Anti-Infective Agents - pharmacology
anti-infective properties
Antiinfectives and antibacterials
Antimicrobial agents
antimicrobial property
antioxidant activity
Antioxidants
antiparasitic agents
consumer attitudes
Consumption
Essential oils
Food Contamination - prevention & control
food industry
Food Industry - methods
Food Microbiology
Food packaging
Food Preservatives - chemistry
Food Preservatives - pharmacology
Food science
foodborne illness
Foods
Gram-positive bacteria
Humans
microbial growth
natural
nutrition science
Oils, Volatile - analysis
Oils, Volatile - pharmacology
Organisms
packaging
packaging materials
Pathogens
Preservatives
Remedies
shelf life
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Summary:Food-borne illnesses pose a real scourge in the present scenario as the consumerism of packaged food has increased to a great extend. Pathogens entering the packaged foods may survive longer, which needs a check. Antimicrobial agents either alone or in combination are added to the food or packaging materials for this purpose. Exploiting the antimicrobial property, essential oils are considered as a “natural” remedy to this problem other than its flavoring property instead of using synthetic agents. The essential oils are well known for its antibacterial, antiviral, antimycotic, antiparasitic, and antioxidant properties due to the presence of phenolic functional group. Gram-positive organisms are found more susceptible to the action of the essential oils. Essential oils improve the shelf-life of packaged products, control the microbial growth, and unriddle the consumer concerns regarding the use of chemical preservatives. This review is intended to provide an overview of the essential oils and their role as natural antimicrobial agents in the food industry.
ISSN:1549-7852
1040-8398
1549-7852
DOI:10.1080/10408398.2012.692127