The antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties attributed to essential oils can be used as natural additives in a range of foods. New research into basil and thyme essential oils reveals their ability to curb Shigella, a harmful food-borne bacteria. Previous research has shown that thyme and basil have antimicrobial potential. Building on this research, scientists at Ghent university in Belgium opted to investigate the antimicrobial impact of thyme and basil essential oil and their major constituents towards Shigella.

According to the researchers who published their findings in the February issue of Food Microbiology, thyme essential oil and its major constituents thymol and carvacrol decontaminated Shigella inoculated lettuce.

They also found that thyme and basil essential oil, and their major compounds thymol, estragol, carvacrol, linalool and p-cymene, inhibited Shigella in an agar diffusion method.

The researchers determined the antimicrobial effect of basil and thyme essential oil and its major constituents thymol, p-cymene, estragol, linalool, and carvacrol by using an agar well diffusion assay.

Thyme essential oil, thymol and carvacrol showed inhibition of Shigella sp. in the agar diffusion method. The potential of thyme essential oil, thymol and carvacrol at 0.5 per cent and 1 per cent v/v for decontamination of lettuce was evaluated.

According to the findings, the researchers noted a decrease of the shigellae after washing with 0.5 per cent while at 1 per cent Shigella numbers dropped below the detection limit. The antimicrobial effect on a subsequent lettuce sample in the same decontamination solution was significantly decreased. In addition, application of thyme essential oil or thymol or carvacrol for decontamination is hampered by sensoric properties of the lettuce (browning, strong odour), note the researchers.

"In this study, it was shown that essential oils and their compounds have potential to be used for decontamination of minimally processed vegetables," write the authors of the paper. More research into the use of essential oils as food preservatives is needed, concluded the scientists.

Used since antiquity for their antimicrobial potential, herbs and spices have played a role in food protection for thousands of years.

According to the researchers, in recent years, two consumer-driven demands have arisen in the food industry. The first is the provision of fresh, natural foods requiring minimal preparation and the second is the control of food safety. But only a few studies have evaluated the potential role of essential oils and their components as food preservatives.