Antibacterial Activity of Several Concentrations of Sater (Satureja hortensis L.) Essential Oil on Spoilage and Pathogenic Food - Related Microorganisms

The present study was designed to establish the antibacterial activities of several concentrations of sater (Satureja hortensis L.) essential oil which is widely used as a condiment and herbal tea and collected from Mersin (Büyükeceli-Gülnar) in Turkey. Sater commonly consumed and grown naturally in Turkey was tested against eleven bacterial strains to compare their antibacterial effects with seven antibiotics. The results showed that the essential oil tested varied in their antimicrobial activity. All concentrations of oil were found to posses an activity against tested microorganisms depending on increasing doses. While inhibition zones of 10, 20, 30 and 40 μg concentrations of oil against Streptococcus salivarius, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus mutans were found smaller than on Bacillus cereus, Salmonella enteritidis, Escherichia coli and Bacillus anthracis strains. Generally, oil at 70, 80, 90 and 100 μg, were more effective on Salmonella enteritidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus mutans When compared with penicillin, amikacine, cefepime, gentamicin, ceftriaxone, cefaperazon sulbaktam. As a result, the use of sater essential oil as antiseptics and disinfectants may be useful in the field of food preservation and food processing plants.