Antimicrobial activity perspectives of plant extracts and essential oils in food industry

Abstract

Plants, their extracts and essential oils have different biologically active characteristics. Their antimicrobial activity has been known for years, therefore plants have been started to use for disease profhylaxis and treatment long ago. Eventually, plant extracts and essential oils were started to use in food industry as natural preservatives. According research, bioactive plant compounds have different antimicrobial activity in various food systems because their activity is influenced by their growing and preparation circumstances, extraction way of biologically active compounds, food composition and target microorganisms as well. However, the results in vitro and in vivo are not always the same. Furthermore, some plants have undesirable effect on sensory parameters of food. Nevertheless, the number of research in this area is increasing, methods of obtaining biologically active substances are improving, and the possibilities of the use of these substances are expanding. The antimicrobial characteristics of plant extracts and essential oils, related to growth inhibition of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms in food are analysed worldwide. Lately, biologically active plant compounds are not only used as food constituents, but have been started to use in package materials as well. Therefore, there is a suitable choice for consumers who appreciate natural food products enriched with natural ingredients enhancing food safety and quality and for producers - like an alternative to artificial preservatives. In this article we aimed to review application possibilities of natural components, such as plant extracts and essential oils, extracted from different sources in food products using their antimicrobial activity.