A rosemary extract commercially exploited (Oxy'less) as an antioxidant of lipids in foods was dissolved in ethanol (100 mg/ml), and the solution was tested against foodborne microorganisms. For gram-positive bacteria, the MIC of the ethanolic solution was 1% for Leuconostoc mesenteroides, 0.5% for Listeria monocytogenes, 0.5% for Staphylococcus aureus, 0.13% for Streptococcus mutans, and 0.06% for Bacillus cereus. It slowed the growth of Penicillium roquefortii and Botrytis cinerea. Up to 1% of the ethanolic solution had no activity on the gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, Salmonella Enteritidis, and Erwinia carotovora and on the yeasts Rhodotorula glutinis and Cryptococcus laurentii. Antibacterial activity of the rosemary extract was strongly influenced by the composition of the media. The MIC was reduced by low pH, high NaCl contents, and low temperatures. Low pH and high NaCl concentration had a synergistic effect on the MIC of the rosemary extract for S. aureus. Lipids, surface-active agents, and some proteins decreased its antibacterial activity, whereas pectin had no effect. The inhibitory effect was little modified by heat treatment (100°C). The natural microflora of pasteurized zucchini broth was inhibited by 0.5% of the rosemary extract. The antibacterial activity was linked to the compounds extracted with hexane, which are presumably phenolic diterpenoids.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research Article|
October 01 2000
Antimicrobial Effect of Rosemary Extracts
JOSÉ DEL CAMPO;
JOSÉ DEL CAMPO
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Station de Technologie des Produits Végétaux, Domaine Saint-Paul, Site Agroparc, F-84914 Avignon Cedex 9, France
Search for other works by this author on:
MARIE-JOSÈPHE AMIOT;
MARIE-JOSÈPHE AMIOT
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Station de Technologie des Produits Végétaux, Domaine Saint-Paul, Site Agroparc, F-84914 Avignon Cedex 9, France
Search for other works by this author on:
CHRISTOPHE NGUYEN-THE
CHRISTOPHE NGUYEN-THE
*
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Station de Technologie des Produits Végétaux, Domaine Saint-Paul, Site Agroparc, F-84914 Avignon Cedex 9, France
* Author for correspondence. Tel: 33.4.32.72.25.21; Fax: 33.4.32.72.24.92; E-mail: nguyenth@avignon.inra.fr.
Search for other works by this author on:
J Food Prot (2000) 63 (10): 1359–1368.
Article history
Received:
November 10 1999
Accepted:
May 22 2000
Citation
JOSÉ DEL CAMPO, MARIE-JOSÈPHE AMIOT, CHRISTOPHE NGUYEN-THE; Antimicrobial Effect of Rosemary Extracts. J Food Prot 1 October 2000; 63 (10): 1359–1368. doi: https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X-63.10.1359
Download citation file: