Essential oils: Mode of antimicrobial activity and potential application in food systems

Abstract

Trend of production and use of healthy safe food without synthetic chemical compounds is becoming more and more emphasized, thus consumers increasingly require the use of natural products, the so-called "green chemicals". The food industry is driven with the trend towards "Green Consumerism" gradually incorporating natural antimicrobials from plant or microbial sources into food products to replace the more traditionally used synthetic chemical preservatives. Taking into account that medicinal plants are generally considered as the most important source of natural antimicrobial agents, this review will summarize the published data on the antibacterial activity of those essential oils and their components that could be considered suitable for application in/on foods. Antimicrobial activity mechanisms of some natural antimicrobial compounds will be also highlighted.