Synergistic antibacterial effects of Trachyspermum ammi L. essential oil and sodium nitrite in combination on artificially inoculated food models

Abstract

The addition of carminative essential oils could be an approach for food preservation and would minimize or substitute chemical preservatives. In the present study, essential oils (n=11) namely, Anethum sowa, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Citrus bergamia, Cymbopogon flexuosus, Cymbopogon martini, Cymbopogon winterianus, Elettaria cardamomum, Mentha arvensis, Ocimum basilicum, Salvia sclarea and Trachyspermum ammi, were screened against Aeromonas hydrophila and Listeria monocytogenes. The largest diameters of zone of inhibition, 19.9 ± 0.33 mm and 21.7 ± 0.58 mm, were exhibited by T. ammi essential oil against Aeromonas hydrophila and Listeria monocytogenes, respectively. Growth inhibition studies for T. ammi essential oil, sodium nitrite and their combinations were also carried out on cucumber, apple, gram flour soup and mutton broth models. The combination of T. ammi essential oil and sodium nitrite depicted synergism and was also effective in reducing the bacterial counts in artificially inoculated food systems.

Keywords

• Chemical preservatives
• Essential oil
• Food-borne pathogens
• Synergism
• Trachyspermum ammi