Essential oils and phenolic compounds as food preservatives

Abstract: Recent studies have shown that consumers are increasingly choosing food items without synthetic preservatives or additives. In order to find alternatives to address the food industry’s need of ensuring food safety, this essay focuses on the possible use of natural preservatives derived from antiseptic plants. The plants in question most often originate from the Mediterranean area and belong to the Lamiaceae family. The essential oils from these plants have been examined and found to be useful against foodborne pathogens and bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli. Particularly the essential oils from Origanum and Thymus with the antibacterial constituents carvacrol and thymol have proven to be effective. Thymol and carvacrol cause destruction of the bacteria’s cell membrane. There are, however, several challenges when attempting to use essential oils in food items. For example, plants show large chemical variabilities, which makes it difficult to provide consistent products of high quality. Therefore, cultivation techniques and knowledge are of great importance. Furthermore, efficacy of the essential oil constituents depends on pH and the ingredients of the food. Additionally, the contribution of sensory properties is an issue. Nevertheless, this essay will illustrate that the essential oils from the genus Origanum and Thymus do show promising results when cultivated in awareness and applied to food items with a low pH and fat content.