<i>Origanum vulgare</i> Essential Oil vs. a Commercial Mixture of Essential Oils: In Vitro Effectiveness on <i>Salmonella</i> spp. from Poultry and Swine Intensive Livestock
Maura Di Vito,
Margherita Cacaci,
Lorenzo Barbanti,
Cecilia Martini,
Maurizio Sanguinetti,
Stefania Benvenuti,
Giovanni Tosi,
Laura Fiorentini,
Maurizio Scozzoli,
Francesca Bugli,
Paola Mattarelli
Affiliations
Maura Di Vito
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari, Università di Bologna, Viale G. Fanin 42, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Margherita Cacaci
Dipartimento di Scienze Biotecnologiche di Base, Cliniche Intensivologiche e Perioperatorie, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy
Lorenzo Barbanti
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari, Università di Bologna, Viale G. Fanin 42, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Cecilia Martini
Dipartimento di Scienze Biotecnologiche di Base, Cliniche Intensivologiche e Perioperatorie, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy
Maurizio Sanguinetti
Dipartimento di Scienze Biotecnologiche di Base, Cliniche Intensivologiche e Perioperatorie, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy
Stefania Benvenuti
Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Via G. Campi 103, 41125 Modena, Italy
Giovanni Tosi
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia-Romagna “Bruno Ubertini”, Sede Territoriale di Forlì, Via Don E. Servadei 3E/3F, 47122 Forlì, Italy
Laura Fiorentini
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia-Romagna “Bruno Ubertini”, Sede Territoriale di Forlì, Via Don E. Servadei 3E/3F, 47122 Forlì, Italy
Maurizio Scozzoli
Società Italiana per la Ricerca sugli Oli Essenziali (SIROE), Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
Francesca Bugli
Dipartimento di Scienze Biotecnologiche di Base, Cliniche Intensivologiche e Perioperatorie, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy
Paola Mattarelli
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari, Università di Bologna, Viale G. Fanin 42, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Salmonella spp. represent a public health concern for humans and animals due to the increase of antibiotic resistances. In this scenario, the use of essential oils (EOs) could be a valid tool against Salmonella contamination of meat. This work compares the in vitro effectiveness of an Italian mixture of feed additives based on EOs (GR-OLI) with EO of Origanum vulgare L., recently admitted by European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for animal use. Twenty-nine Salmonella serotypes isolated from poultry and pig farms were used to assess GR-OLI and O. vulgare EO antimicrobial propeties. O. vulgare EO was active on the disaggregation of mature biofilm, while GR-OLI was capable of inhibiting biofilm formation and disaggregating preformed biofilm. Furthermore, GR-OLI inhibited bacterial adhesion to Caco-2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Both products showed inhibition of bacterial growth at all time points tested. Finally, the synergistic action of GR-OLI with commonly used antibiotics against resistant strains was investigated. In conclusion, the mixture could be used both to reduce the meat contamination of Salmonella spp. before slaughter, and in synergy with low doses of ciprofloxacin against resistant strains. Although EOs as feed additives are already used in animal husbandry, no scientific study has ever highlighted their real antimicrobial potential.