title: Evaluation of the Antibacterial Activity of Bergamot Essential Oils on DifferentListeria MonocytogenesStrains.
abstract: Essential oils are aromatic and volatile substances extracted from plants and characterized by antimicrobial activity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity (agar disc-diffusion method) of seven different bergamot essential oils (BEOs) on eightListeria monocytogenesstrains. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of most efficient BEOs was estimated. Extremely variable results for agar disc-diffusion method forL. monocytogenesstrains were reported. One of the tested microorganisms resulted insensible to all the BEOs; 3 strains showed an inhibition from weak to null and the remaining 4 a variable susceptibility. Among the BEOs tested, one showed a strong activity against four pathogenic strains. Four BEOs revealed weak, moderate or null activity in all the 7 sensitive strains, while for two oils only a weak or no activity was reported. MIC values were 0.625 μL/mL for the most efficient BEO, 2.5 and 5 μL/mL for the other samples that showed moderate inhibition. Experiment results are significantly related to the strains tested (P<0.01), rather than the BEO employed (P>0.01). In conclusion, we can consider BEO as a natural technological hurdle forListeria monocytogenesin combination with other preservation strategies. Finally, this study underlines the necessity to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of EOs on a significant strains number of the same bacteria.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina , Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefania M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Marotta
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina , Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giarratana
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina , Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parco
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina , Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neri
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina , Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Graziella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ziino
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina , Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giuffrida
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina , Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Panebianco
keywords: Antibacterial activity; Bergamot; Essential oils; Listeria monocytogenes