Enhancing Antimicrobial Efficacy of Sandalwood Essential Oil Against <i>Salmonella enterica</i> for Food Preservation
Andrea Verešová,
Margarita Terentjeva,
Zhaojun Ban,
Li Li,
Milena Vukic,
Nenad Vukovic,
Maciej Ireneusz Kluz,
Rania Ben Sad,
Anis Ben Hsouna,
Alessandro Bianchi,
Ján Kollár,
Joel Horacio Elizondo-Luévano,
Natália Čmiková,
Stefania Garzoli,
Miroslava Kačániová
Affiliations
Andrea Verešová
Institute of Horticulture, Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, Slovak University of Agriculture, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 94976 Nitra, Slovakia
Margarita Terentjeva
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, LV-3001 Jelgava, Latvia
Zhaojun Ban
School of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical and Biological Processing Technology of Farm Products, Zhejiang Provincial Collaborative Innovation Center of Agricultural Biological Resources Biochemical Manufacturing, Hangzhou 310023, China
Li Li
Key Laboratory for Agro-Products Postharvest Handling of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Milena Vukic
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Nenad Vukovic
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Maciej Ireneusz Kluz
School of Medical & Health Sciences, University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw, Okopowa 59, 01 043 Warszawa, Poland
Rania Ben Sad
Laboratory of Biotechnology and Plant Improvement, Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax, P.O. Box 1177, Sfax 3018, Tunisia
Anis Ben Hsouna
Laboratory of Biotechnology and Plant Improvement, Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax, P.O. Box 1177, Sfax 3018, Tunisia
Alessandro Bianchi
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Ján Kollár
Institute of Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, Slovak University of Agriculture, Tulipánová 7, 94976 Nitra, Slovakia
Joel Horacio Elizondo-Luévano
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza 64455, Nuevo León, Mexico
Natália Čmiková
Institute of Horticulture, Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, Slovak University of Agriculture, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 94976 Nitra, Slovakia
Stefania Garzoli
Department of Chemistry and Technologies of Drug, Sapienza University, P. le Aldo Moro, 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Miroslava Kačániová
Institute of Horticulture, Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, Slovak University of Agriculture, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 94976 Nitra, Slovakia
The growing emphasis on food safety and healthier lifestyles, driven by industrial expansion and scientific priorities, has highlighted the necessity of managing harmful microorganisms to guarantee food quality. A significant challenge in this domain is the control of pathogens that are capable of forming biofilms, entering a sessile state that enhances their resistance to broad-spectrum antibiotics. Essential oils, renowned for their antibacterial properties, present a promising natural alternative for food preservation. In this study, we analyzed the chemical composition of Santalum album essential oil (SAEO) using GC-MS, identifying (Z)-α-santalol (57.1%) as the primary constituent. Antimicrobial activity was confirmed through disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and yeast from the genus Candida. Additionally, in situ experiments demonstrated that vapor-phase SAEO effectively inhibited Serratia marcescens on the food model, supporting its potential as a natural preservative. MBIC assays, crystal violet staining, and MALDI-TOF MS analysis on S. enterica biofilms were used to further evaluate the antibiofilm effects of SAEO. The crystal violet assay revealed a strong antibiofilm effect, while the MALDI-TOF MS analysis showed changes in the bacterial protein profiles on both glass and plastic surfaces. SAEO also showed significant anti-Salmonella activity on vacuum-packed carrot slices. SAEO outperformed the control samples. The insecticidal activity against Megabruchidius dorsalis was also studied in this work, and the best insecticidal activity was found at the highest concentrations. These findings indicate that SAEO could serve as a valuable component in food preservation, with notable antibacterial and antibiofilm benefits.
