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Molecules 2012, 17(4), 3989-4006; doi:10.3390/molecules17043989

Review

Essential Oils in Combination and Their Antimicrobial Properties

Imaël Henri Nestor Bassolé ^1,*  and H. Rodolfo Juliani ²

¹ Laboratoire BAEBIB, UFR-SVT, Université de Ouagadougou, 09 BP 848 Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso ² Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 59 Dudley Road, Foran Hall, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: 5 March 2012; in revised form: 27 March 2012 / Accepted: 29 March 2012 / Published: 2 April 2012

Download PDF Full-Text [242 KB, uploaded 2 April 2012 08:36 CEST]

Abstract: Essential oils (EOs) have been long recognized for their antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, insecticidal and antioxidant properties. They are widely used in medicine and the food industry for these purposes. The increased interest in alternative natural substances is driving the research community to find new uses and applications of these substances. EOs and their components show promising activities against many food-borne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms when tested in vitro. In food systems, higher concentrations of EOs are needed to exert similar antibacterial effects as those obtained in in vitro assays. The use of combinations of EOs and their isolated components are thus new approaches to increase the efficacy of EOs in foods, taking advantage of their synergistic and additive effects. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview on the antimicrobial efficacy of these combinations. A survey of the methods used for the determination of the interactions and mechanisms involved in the antimicrobial activities of these combinations are also reported.

Keywords: essential oils; combinations; antimicrobial; synergism; antagonism; additive effects

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