ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF ESSENTIAL OILS AGAINST FOOD-BORNE PATHOGENIC BACTERIA

ABSTRACT: The increasing resistance of microbes to conventional drugs has promoted the scientists to search for new biocides with broad activity. Plant derived essential oils (EOs) have been known to show antimicrobial activity against specific pathogens and therefore could be considered as alternative antimicrobial agents in controlling pathogens. The present study was done to investigate the antimicrobial activity of soybean, rice, mustard, olive, coconut and castor oil against 24 isolates of 6 different types of food borne pathogens. Antibacterial activities of essential oils were determined using agar disc diffusion assay. All EOs showed antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas sp., Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholerae, Klebsiella spp., and Salmonella spp. Staphylococcus aureus was found more sensitive to soybean and mustard oils compared to other Gram negative bacteria. Castor oil was effective against most of the bacteria namely Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholerae, Klebsiella spp. and Salmonella spp. The antibacterial activity of EOs could be used fo