Affiliation: | (1) Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica (ETSIA), Dpto. Ing. Alimentos y del Equipamiento Agrícola, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII 48, 30203 Cartagena, Murcia, Spain;(2) Present address: Dpto. Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos, Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura (CEBAS)-CSIC, Apdo 4195, 30080 Murcia, Spain |
Abstract: | The antibacterial action of thymol and cymene on two Bacillus cereus strains (INRA-AVTZ415 and INRA-AVZ421) was studied. Thymol and cymene alone showed higher antibacterial effect on the growth of B. cereus in BHI at 30 °C, both in lag and in exponential growth phases, with increasing added concentrations. However, the two strains tested showed different sensitivity to these natural compounds. When thymol and cymene were applied simultaneously, it resulted in a greater antibacterial effect than when the compounds were applied separately. The synergistic behaviour of both compounds was also shown for lag phase B. cereus INRA-AVZ421 cells in food substrates (carrot juice, chicken soup and pumpkin cream) at 30 °C, though a clear food-related effect was observed. This study indicates the potential use of thymol and cymene applied simultaneously for preservation of minimally processed foods. |