Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils

Dear Colleagues,

Essential oils (EOs) are the most important secondary metabolite of plants’ normal growth. Essential oils are a complex mixture of volatile compounds that can be extracted from different parts of aromatic plants by distillation or hydrodistillation. They are multicomponent products mainly composed of terpenoids, terpenes, and aliphatic and aromatic constituents. Generally, essential oils characterized by a high number of phenolic compounds have important antibacterial and antifungal properties. Their efficacy as antimicrobial agents is related to the activity of several components that can act in synergy with each other and with other antibiotics. Essential oils and their main components have many applications in popular medicine, food and beverage preservation, cosmetics, as well as in the fragrance and pharmaceutical industries. The majority of essential oils have a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) designation and possess a low risk for developing resistance to pathogenic microorganisms. Considering increased pathogen resistance and a wide range of infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) microorganisms, investigations into the broad spectrum, mode of action, and potential uses of the antimicrobial activities of essential oils and their components have been given new impetus.

Therefore, this Special Issue focuses on the possible useful antibacterial activities of essential oils to control infections and biofilm formation by drug resistant microorganisms in areas such as human and veterinary medicine and the food industry.

Dr. Carla Sabia
Dr. Ramona Iseppi
Guest Editors

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