Abstract

Charu Gupta1*, Amar P. Garg2, Ramesh C. Uniyal1and Archana Kumari2

In this study we screened ten herbal oils, which were purchased from the local market of Meerut region to study their role as inhibitors of food-borne pathogens. Of the ten essential oils, only cinnamon and clove oil exhibited a broad range of antimicrobial activity, followed by peppermint and Eucalyptus oil. Cinnamon oil exhibited the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 1.25% (v/v), followed by clove oil with an MIC of 2.5% (v/v). These oils therefore possess potential to be used as food biopreservatives.