<i>Lavandula x intermedia</i> and <i>Lavandula angustifolia</i> essential oils: phytochemical composition and antimicrobial activity against foodborne pathogens

<p>Four cultivars (cv) of <i>Lavandula x intermedia</i> (‘Abrialis’, ‘Alba’, ‘Rinaldi Ceroni’ (R.C.) and ‘Sumiens’) were cultivated in Italy and their essential oils (EOs) were distilled from Alfalfa Mosaic Virus-free plants. These EOs and one from <i>L. angustifolia</i> Miller were chemically characterised by GC-MS and GC-FID. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated against <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i> (24 strains) and <i>Salmonella enterica</i> (10 food strains). Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) ≥ 10.0 μL/mL inhibited <i>Salmonella</i> (cv ‘R.C.’ was the most active); MIC of 0.3 μL/mL for cv ‘Abrialis’ and ‘R.C.’ inhibited <i>L. monocytogenes</i>, revealing noticeable activity, especially on clinical strains. This activity appears related to EOs composition. Particularly cv ‘Abrialis’ and ‘R.C.’ showing the highest antimicrobial activity, were rich in the specific constituents: linalool (38.17 and 61.98%), camphor (8.97 and 10.30%), 1,8-cineole (6.89 and 8.11%, respectively). These EOs could find potential applications in food biopreservation and in surface decontamination, even in hospitals, and deserve deeper investigations.