Chemical profile, antibacterial, antioxidant, and anisakicidal activities of Thymus zygis subsp. gracilis essential oil and its effect against Listeria monocytogenes

In this work, the chemical composition of Thymus zygis subsp. gracilis collected from Ifrane, Morocco, along with the evaluation of the antibacterial, anti-biofilm of Listeria monocytogenes activities, larvicidal effect against L3 larvae of Anisakis, and antioxidant properties of its essential oil (TZG-EO), are reported. GC-MS and GC-FID analyses highlighted the presence of 84 volatile components and strong bactericidal and anti-biofilm activities against L. monocytogenes at a concentration of 0.02 % were demonstrated. Also, larvicidal effect against Anisakis larvae at concentrations of 0.01 and 0.005 % was attained leading to the death of all tested larvae within 4 h. The in situ antibacterial activity of TZG-EO (0.01 and 0.005 %) in smoked fish showed high efficiency against L. monocytogenes growth. TZG-EO could be used as potential antibacterial and larvicidal agents for fighting against foodborne pathogens and extending shelf life of food products.

Automated summary

This study reports the chemical composition and properties of the essential oil of Thymus zygis subsp. gracilis collected from Morocco. The essential oil exhibited strong antibacterial and anti-biofilm activities, as well as larvicidal effects against Anisakis larvae. It also showed high efficiency in inhibiting the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in smoked fish.