Essential oils are plant secondary metabolites with different biological properties, such as activity against microorganisms, being of major interest to the food industry. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of these oils for various bacteria should be determined. The MICvaries according to the oil used by the major compounds and phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of the bacteria. In this research, the essential oils of the plants Satureja montana L., Cymbopogon nardus L. and Citrus limonia Osbeck were chemically characterized and the MIC of the bacteria Staphylococcus aureusATCC 2592 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, determined. The MICfor all oils against E. coli was 1.5%, and S. aureus was sensitive to the concentration of 5.0% of S. montanaoil and tothe concentration of 1.5% of the essential oils of the other plants.Chemically, the major components ofthe S. montana, C. nardus and C.limonia Osbeck oils were respectively thymol, citronellal and limonene.
natural antimicrobial agents; bacteria; essential oils
