Evaluation of the antibacterial activity of allyl isothiocyanate, clove oil, eugenol and carvacrol against spoilage lactic acid bacteria

In recent years, the antibacterial properties of essential oils (EOs) and EO components have attracted attention, but only few studies have investigated their effect against spoilage lactic acid bacteria (LAB). To collect knowledge of antimicrobial effect of EO and EO components against spoilage LAB, the ability of allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), clove oil, eugenol, and carvacrol to control the growth of 6 types of spoilage-causing LAB was evaluated. Carvacrol, at 500 mg/L, and eugenol and AITC, at 2000 mg/L, could suppress the growth of all LAB. Susceptibility to clove oil varied among strains. Finally, the effect of carvacrol on the growth of 2 types of selected LAB in fresh sausage was evaluated. The number of LAB in sausages treated with 5000 or 10,000 mg/kg of carvacrol was lower than that in the control sausages (to which EO had not been added), and the growth of LAB was significantly suppressed at 20,000 mg/kg (P < 0.01). In this study, it was found that EO and EO components were effective in suppressing the growth of LAB, thus suggesting its application in preservation of food in the future.

Automated summary

Recent studies have shown that essential oils and their components have an inhibitory effect on spoilage lactic acid bacteria, with carvacrol and eugenol able to suppress the growth of all LAB tested. Clove oil showed varying levels of susceptibility among strains. Additionally, the addition of 5000 or 10000 mg/kg of carvacrol reduced the number of LAB in fresh sausage, with significant suppression observed at 20000 mg/kg.