BLAGOJEV NEVENA¹*, ŠKRINJAR MARIJA¹, CABARKAPA IVANA², ŠOŠO VLADISLAVA¹, SUTUROVIC IRENA¹

*Corresponding author

1. Faculty of Technology, University of Novi Sad, Bulevar cara Lazara 1, 21 000 Novi Sad, Serbia

2. Institute of Food Technology, University of Novi Sad, Bulevar cara Lazara 1, 21 000 Novi Sad, Serbia

Abstract

Alimentary diseases, usually caused by microorganisms, are growing public health problem worldwide. Successful control of food-borne pathogens requires the use of multiple preservation techniques, including application of diverse additives. The modern trends in nutrition suggest substitution of synthetic food additives with natural ones. Plant essential oils are reported to be an interesting source of antimicrobial compounds. This study evaluates the antimicrobial potential of Oreganum heracleoticum L. essential oil against six commonly found food-borne fungi by screening their survival in the presence of this oil in growth media. Results showed that oregano essential oil posses strong in vitro antifungal activity against tested fungi, so the concentration of 0.31 µL/mL was needed for total growth inhibition of yeast species, 0.62 µL/mL for Aspergillus species and 1.25 µL/mL for Penicillium species. When applied in adequate concentration, oregano essential oil has a great potential to be used as natural antifungal preservative in foods.

INTRODUCTION

Food-borne diseases are growing public health problem worldwide. Successful control of food-borne pathogens requires the use of multiple preservation techniques in the manufacturing and storage of food products. Increasingly negative consumer perception of synthetic preservatives put the food industry under pressure to replace them with natural ones. Plant essential oils could be an interesting alternative for synthetic preservatives, with a few advantages: they are characterized by a broad-spectrum activity, including antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral activities; they are considered as safe; they are from natural resources which have been used as food for a long time; they have functional properties; they have acceptable sensory properties, etc. (1-3).
Essential oils (EOs) extracted from plant material have been used for centuries. Their initial application was in medicine, then in 19th century their use as aroma and flavour became their major employment, and nowadays they represent an interesting source of natural antimicrobials for food preservation (4). Potential application of EOs in food preservation requires detailed ...