Antimicrobial effects of Rosemary essential oil with potential use in the preservation of fresh fruits and vegetables

Abstract

Abstract Different uses of Rosmarinus officinalis are known, and its volatile essential oil (EO) possess extensively investigated biological properties, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, anticancer, antiviral, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, nephroprotective, antiulcer, and many others. The aim of our study was evaluating of antimicrobial activity of R. offi cinalis essential oil in vapor phase on apples, pears, kohlrabi, and potatoes. Fruits and vegetables models were tested with Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, and yeasts. Together four bacterial strains (Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica, Yersinia enterocolitica, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus) and four yeasts (Candida albicans, C. glabrata, C. krusei, and C. tropicalis) were tested in situ analyses. The most effective influence has ROEO has the most effective influence on on apples model against bacteria Enterococcus faecalis, and C. glabrata, on pears model Salmonella enterica and C. glabrata, on potatoes Yersinia enterocolitica, and C. glabrata, and on kohlrabi model Y. enterocolitica, and C. albicans. The most effective in all food models was concentration 500 μL.L−1.