Open access peer-reviewed chapter

The Antibacterial Activity of Mentha

Written By

Monique Mancuso

Submitted: 05 April 2020 Reviewed: 08 April 2020 Published: 01 June 2020

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.92425

From the Edited Volume

Herbs and Spices

Edited by Muhammad Akram and Rabia Shabir Ahmad

Chapter metrics overview

921 Chapter Downloads

View Full Metrics

Abstract

The topic of this chapter is the antibacterial activity of Mentha against several pathogenic bacteria. Some aromatic plants are recently being studied for their antibacterial properties, such as citrus essential oils, Armoracia rusticana, etc., showing inhibition against bacteria, fungi and yeasts. This chapter highlights the antibacterial characteristics of Mentha piperita (peppermint) and other Mentha sp. that are used daily as folk remedies and in food industry too. Mentha acts as counterirritant and analgesic with the ability to reduce pain and improve blood flow to the affected area. For these reasons, mint essential oils are well studied due to their antibacterial activities against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive ones and can be useful as a substitute to some antibiotics and combat the antimicrobial bacterial resistance.

Keywords

  • Mentha sp.
  • antibacterial activity
  • plants
  • leaf extract
  • essential oils

1. Introduction

The essential oils (EOs) are a group of several natural chemicals that are characterised by their volatility and aroma [1].

The essential oils are produced by different plant parts (flowers, buds, seeds, leaves, twigs, bark, herbs, wood, fruits and roots) as secondary metabolites [2]. The EOs are about 3000, 300 of which are used for pharmaceutical, agronomic, food, sanitary, cosmetic and perfusion purposes [2]. They are a complex of natural mixtures of lipophilic substances and consist of two fractions: volatile (from 85 to 99%) and non-volatile, the second one being a heavier fraction than the first one (from 1 to 15%) [3]. Hydrocarbon compounds and oxygenated compounds prevail in the volatile fraction of EOs. The oxygenated fraction gives the characteristic flavour to the essences, while terpenes and sesquiterpenes perform a support function. The separation process of terpenes, as well as improving the stability of the essence, allows to concentrate the oxygenate fraction that it brings a superior contribution to perfume and aroma. The non-volatile fraction consists of many classes of substances such as high molecular weight hydrocarbons, fatty acids, steroids, carotenoids, waxes, coumarins, psoralenes and flavonoids [2]. Several EOs extracted from plants contain compounds that are responsible for their antimicrobial effects [4, 5, 6]. The mechanisms by which different EOs are capable of damaging bacteria depend on their composition. Generally, antimicrobial activity is derived not only from a single mechanism of action but also from a cascade of reactions that involve the entire bacterial cell because EOs have several chemical structures in their composition and, consequently, several functional groups. In general, Gram-positive bacteria are more susceptible to the effects of EOs than Gram-negative bacteria, due to significant structural differences in the cell wall of these two groups of bacteria [7, 8]. The structure of Gram-positive bacteria facilitates the penetration of hydrophobic molecules into the cell and acts on the bacterial wall, cytoplasmic membrane or cytoplasm [1].

The diseases caused by bacterial pathogens are a great concern all over the world [9]. Since the beginning of the 1980s, it is observed that the number of antimicrobial agents decreased considerably, while the resistance of the microorganisms to them has been growing in a fast way due to the development of new resistance mechanisms [10].

For these reasons, nowadays, there has been a growing interest in the determination of the biological and antimicrobial properties of herb extracts derived from several medicinal plants [11]. Among the species of plants from which essential oils are obtained, there is mint (Mentha sp.), in fact, which is used all over the world as flavouring agent in cosmetics, in pharmaceutical products as well as food including candy and gum and for liqueur [12]. The genus Mentha, family Labiatae, consists of about 25 species. Native from the temperate areas of the world is common in Eurasia, North America, southern Africa, and Australia, mints are widely distributed throughout. Mint essential oil is produced by their leaves [13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20]. Mint essential oils (MEOs) are used as scents in perfumery. Some species are commonly used in herbal medicine. The antibacterial effects of mint species, in particular peppermint oil from Mentha piperita, spearmint oil from Mentha spicata var. crispa and corn mint oil from Mentha arvensis, have great antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes and B. subtilis [1, 9, 21]. Mentha pulegium showed activity against S. aureus and Enterococcus faecalis [11].

Mentha spicata and other Mentha species showed activity against Gram-negative bacteria; the former is active against biofilm cultures of Vibrio spp. [22]; Mentha longifolia is active against Salmonella typhimurium [23]; and Mentha pulegium inhibits the growth of Pseudomonas sp., E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa [11, 24, 25].

Advertisement

2. Chemical composition of Mentha species essential oil

The essential oils from different Mentha species have been isolated by hydrodistillation using Clevenger apparatus or pharmacopoeia distillation apparatus [26].

The composition of MEOs that gives the characteristic peppermint aroma and flavour is menthol and pulegone [27], whereas for spearmint, it was reported that the flavour is due to carvone [28].

Several investigations have been carried out on the chemical composition of different samples of Mentha species from different geographical regions revealing that chemical composition and percentage varied depending upon the species and the harvesting time at different stages, and the geography as well as the extraction methods [29]. Some factors like physiological and environmental conditions, genetics and evolution also determine the chemical variability of Mentha essential oils [30]. Additionally, most of the species chemically characterised were rich in pulegone, menthone, menthol, carvone, 1,8-cineole, limonene and b-caryophyllene. For example, the chemical composition of the essential oil of M. piperita has abundant quantities of menthone, menthol and menthyl acetate, which varies based on different countries: in Serbia, menthone was 12.7%, menthol 37.4% and menthyl acetate 17.4% [31]. In Pakistan, the major components of M. piperita reported are menthone and menthol [32]. In India, menthol was (30–55%), menthofuran and menthyl acetate (1.0–9.2%) [33]. In Iran, M. piperita EO contains menthol (36.24%) and menthone (32.42%) as main constituents [34]. In Turkey, the reported chemical constituents of peppermint oil are menthone (44.1%), menthol (29.5%), menthyl-acetate (3.8%) and menthofuran (0.9%) [35]. However, in Korea, M. piperita leaves EO has different composition and include limonene (64.5 and 94.2%), 1,8-cineole (46.1%), p-menth-2-en-ol (34.5%), menthol (33.4%) and linalyl-acetate (28.2%) as main components [36]. These differences can influence the antibacterial capacity with respect to one pathogenic bacteria species; it is important to note that it is not a single compound but the combination of the chemical compounds that carries the specific antimicrobial activity [37, 38]. The hydrophobicity is one of the major distinctiveness of essential oils, which enables their assimilation into the cell membrane. The MEO oil rich in menthol and compounds similar to menthol shows that the hydroxyl group and the presence of a system of delocalized electrons are important for the antimicrobial activity. These similar compounds destabilise the cytoplasmic membrane and, also, act as a proton exchanger, thereby reducing the pH gradient across the cytoplasmic membrane. The resulting collapse of the proton motive force and depletion of the ATP pool eventually lead to cell death [39].

Advertisement

3. Methods for testing the antibacterial activity of essential oils

The methods used for testing antimicrobial activity of EOs are the disc diffusion method, the determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the vapour phase method. Another method is the use of TLC-bioautography.

3.1 Agar diffusion test

In the agar diffusion test, the EO to be tested is placed on the top of an agar surface. There are two techniques: in the first one, the essential oil is adsorbed onto a sterile paper disk; in the second one, the EO is put inside a hole into the agar surface. Then, the agar plates are incubated according to the physiological characteristics of the tested bacteria. The antimicrobial agent tested by spreading in the medium inhibits bacterial growth, thereby creating halos of inhibition around the bacterial colonies; the size of inhibition zone is regarded as a measure for the antimicrobial potency of an essential oil [40]. But some lipophilic compounds such as farnesol, although the compound results in a strong inhibition in the serial dilution test [41], cause only small inhibition zones, i.e. against Bacillus subtilis [42]. Thus, strong inhibitors having low water solubility gave a poor or even negative result in the agar diffusion test. For this reason, it is better to perform different tests. Similarly, it is important to interpret the size of inhibition zones, which depends on both the diffusion coefficient and antimicrobial activity of every compound present in an essential oil [43].

3.2 Dilution test

In the dilution test, the essential oil to be tested is incorporated in a semisolid agar medium or liquid broth in several defined amounts. The absence of growth in agar plates or test tubes is determined with the naked eye after incubation. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) is the concentration of essential oil present in the ungrown agar plate or test tube with the highest amount of test material. When essential oils are tested, the main difficulty is caused by their low water solubility. The addition of solvents (e.g. dimethylsulfoxide and ethanol) or detergents (e.g. Tween 20) to the growth medium is unavoidable, which however influences the MIC [44, 45, 46]. Another problem is the volatilisation of essential oils during incubation. Furthermore, MIC-influencing test parameters are the size of inoculum, the pH of growth medium and the incubation time. Nevertheless, the serial dilution test in liquid broth was recommended for natural substances [47] and is standardised for the testing of antibacterial and antifungal drugs in liquid broth and agar plates [48]. Its use enables a link to data of pharmaceutical drugs and an easier interpretation of test results. All concentrations are recalculated in μg/ml [1, 49].

3.3 Vapour phase test

The components of EOs and their relative volatilities determine the characteristics of their vapours, which in turn affect the antimicrobial potential [50, 51]. For this test, a standardised method for testing the antimicrobial activity of essential oils does not exist. Recently, several studies confirmed that vapour phases of EOs are more effective antimicrobials than their liquid phases [51, 52, 53] probably because the lipophilic molecules in the aqueous phase associate to form micelles and thus suppress the attachment of the EOs to the organism, whereas the vapour phase allows free attachment [54].

3.4 TLC bioautography

Direct bioautography combined with thin layer chromatographic (TLC) separation is a rapid and sensitive screening method for the detection of antimicrobial compounds. Test microorganism cultures are capable of growing directly on the TLC plate, so each step of the assay is performed on the sorbent. Similar to the common antimicrobial screening methods, TLC bioautography must be carried out under controlled conditions, since the experimental conditions (e.g. solvent, sample application, resolution of compounds, type of microorganism and incubation time) may influence the result [55]. The advantages of direct bioautography are that it is suitable for evaluating complex plant extracts and facilitates rapid, economic and easy evaluation. The use of bioautography to detect antimicrobial compounds effective against plant and human pathogenic bacteria has been reported in the literature [56, 57].

Advertisement

4. Uses of mint essential oils

The mint species has always been widely used; the leaves, flowers, and stems of Mentha spp. are used traditionally in herbal teas or in several folk remedies for treatment [58, 59]. Recently, mint essential oil, as well as other plant essential oils, can be used as food preservative, in fact, there is a growing interest in the development of edible and biodegradable films for food made from bio-polymers, conservation and preservation instead of the synthetic preservatives and chemical additives once, that can cause intoxication, cancer and other degenerative diseases [60]. In addition, biobased active packaging facilitates continuous migration of active components into the food remaining at high concentrations for a prolonged time period [61]. Mint essential oil contains phenolic compounds such as α-pinene, citronellol, and methyl eugenol, which have antimicrobial activity against a wide range of microorganisms and antioxidant activity; for these reasons, MEOs are widely used as food additives and in pharmaceutical industries because they are considered as potent film additives that help in preventing lipid oxidation and microbial spoilage of foods [62]. Another interesting idea was to add mint essential oil (MEO) into gelatin-based edible films with an effective inhibition of microbial growth on the film surface [63]. Moreover, MEOs are also used both in agriculture to fight bacterial and fungal diseases [64] and to give other examples and in aquaculture as an additive in fish feed to increase immune defences, but also as sedative and anaesthetic for farmed fish [65].

Advertisement

5. Conclusion

MEOs have antibacterial effects against a wide range of pathogenic microorganisms in humans, fish, and vegetables also. MEOs’ antibacterial activity is linked to their chemical composition rich in pulegone, menthone, menthol, carvone, 1, 8-cineole, limonene and b-caryophyllene and phenolic compounds also such as α-pinene, citronellol and methyl eugenol. For these reasons, MEOs are widely used as food additives and in pharmaceutical industries to prevent microbial spoilage of foods. The most used methods to test the antimicrobial activity of EOs are the disc diffusion method, the determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and the vapour phase method, and to have the most truthful analysis possible on the antibacterial characteristics, it is better to use more than one method. The use of MEOs, and in general of EOs, is very important because being natural substances and therefore easily biodegradable, it could be a promising alternative to synthetic materials to fight the increasingly common bacterial infections.

Advertisement

Conflict of interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.

References

  1. 1. Horváth P, Koščová J. In vitro antibacterial activity of Mentha essential oils against Staphylococcus aureus. Folia Veterinaria. 2017;61:71-77. DOI: 10.1515/fv-2017-0030
  2. 2. Palazzolo E, Laudicina VA, Germanà MA. Current and potential use of citrus essential oils. Current Organic Chemistry. 2013;17:3042-3049
  3. 3. Dugo P, Ragonese C, Russo M, Sciarrone D, Santi L, Cotroneo A, et al. Sicilian lemon oil: Composition of volatile and oxygen heterocyclic fractions and enantiomeric distribution of volatile components. Journal of Separation Science. 2010;33:3374-3385
  4. 4. Cosentino S, Tuberoso CIC, Pisano B, Satta M, Mascia V, Arzedi E, et al. In vitro antimicrobial activity and chemical composition of Sardinian Thymus essential oils. Letters in Applied Microbiology. 2002;29:130-135
  5. 5. Ozogul Y, Kuley E, Ucar Y, Ozogul F. Antimicrobial impacts of essential oils on food borne-pathogens. Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture. 2015;7(1):53-61
  6. 6. Singh P, Pandey AK. Prospective of essential oils of the genus Mentha as biopesticides: A review. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2018;9:1295. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01295
  7. 7. Cunha JA, Heinzman BM, Baldisserotto B. The effects of essential oils and their major compounds on fish bacterial pathogens—A review. Journal of Applied Microbiology. 2018;125:328-344
  8. 8. Mancuso M, Catalfamo M, Laganà P, Rappazzo AC, Raymo V, Zampino D, et al. Screening of antimicrobial activity of citrus essential oils against pathogenic bacteria and Candida strains. Flavour and Fragrance Journal. 2019;34(3):187-200. DOI: 10.1002/ffj.3491
  9. 9. Bokhari N, Perveen K, Al Khulaifi M, Kumar A, Siddiqui I. In Vitro antibacterial activity and chemical composition of essential oil of Mentha arvensis Linn. leaves. TEOP. 2016;19:907-915
  10. 10. Fair RJ, Yitzhak T. Antibiotics and bacterial resistance in the 21st century. Perspectives in Medicinal Chemistry. 2014;6:25-64. DOI: 10.4137/PMC.S14459
  11. 11. Aycan M, Yildiz M, Darcin S, Tunc K, Hos A, Dundar E. Antibacterial Activity of Mentha pulegium L. from Turkey. American Journal of Life Sciences. 2015;3:383-386. DOI: 10.11648/j.ajls.20150306.11
  12. 12. Mahalakshmi Prya A, Manikandan M, Kalaiselvi G, Arun P, Chinnaswamy P, Selvam K. Screening on antibacterial activity of Menta piperita L. Asian Journal of Microbiology, Biotechnology & Environmental Sciences. 2007;4:1049-1052
  13. 13. Hiruma CA. Estudo químico e farmacológico do óleo essencial das folhas de Mentha x villosa Hudson [doctoral thesis]. Universidade Federal da Paraíba; 1993
  14. 14. Monte FJQ , Oliveira EF, Braz-Filho R. Triterpenóides pentacíclicos de Mentha x villosa: identificação estrutural e atribuição dos deslocamentos químicos dos átomos de hidrogênio e carbono. Quim Nova. 2001;24:491-500
  15. 15. Gobert V, Moja S, Colson M, Taberlet P. Hybridization in the section Mentha (Lamiaceae) inferred from AFLP markers. American Journal of Botany. 2002;89:2017-2023
  16. 16. Lorenzo D, Paz D, Dellacassa E, Davies P, Vila R, Cañigueral S. Essential oils of Mentha pulegium and Mentha rotundifolia from Uruguay. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology. 2002;45:519-524
  17. 17. Marchese JA, Broetto F, Ming LC, Goto R, Stefanini MB, Galina A, et al. Perfil dos consumidores de plantas medicinais e condimentares do município de Pato Branco (PR). Horticultura Brasileira. 2005;22:332-342
  18. 18. Sartoratto A, Machado ALM, Delarmelina C, Figueira GM, Duarte MCT, Rehder VL. Composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils from aromatic plants used in Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Mricobiology. 2004;35:275-280
  19. 19. Bertini LM, Pereira AF, Oliveira CLL, Menezes EA, Morais SM, Cunha FA, et al. Perfil de sensibilidade de bactérias frente a óleos essenciais de algumas plantas do nordeste do Brasil. Infarma. 2005;17:80-83
  20. 20. Bieski IG. Plantas medicinais e aromáticas no sistema único de saúde da região sul de Cuiabá-MT. Monografia. MG: Universidade Federal de Lavras; 2005. p. 92
  21. 21. Ullah N, Khurram M, Amin MU, Khan TA, Khayyam SU, Khan FA, et al. Impact of geographical locations on Mentha spicata antibacterial activities. Journal of Medicinal Plant Research. 2012;6:1201-1206
  22. 22. Snoussi M, Noumi E, Trabelsi N, Flamini G, Papetti A, De Feo V. Mentha spicata essential oil: Chemical composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activities against planktonic and biofilm cultures of Vibrio spp. strains. Molecules. 2015;20:14402-14424. DOI: 10.3390/molecules200814402
  23. 23. Heydari F, Saeedi S, Hassanshahian M. Antibacterial activity of Mentha longifolia against Salmonella typhimurium. Advanced Herbal Medicine. 2015;1:42-47
  24. 24. Moghtader Y, Hadi-Khayatnouri N, Abbasi-Maleki S, Moradi-Kor N. Comparison of antibacterial activity of the hydroalcoholic and essential oil of Mentha pileglum in vitro condition. In: 1st International Conference on Medicine, Public Health and Biological Sciences (MPHBS). 2016
  25. 25. Sariri R, Razmgar R, Taheri M, Shaigan Z. The synergic antibacterial effect of green tea and Mentha pegium extracts. Clinical Biochemistry. 2011;44:S230
  26. 26. Taherpour AA, Khaef S, Yari A, Nikeafshar S, Fathi M, Ghambar S. Chemical composition analysis of the essential oil of Mentha piperita L. from Kermanshah, Iran by hydrodistillation and HS/SPME methods. Journal of Analytical Science and Technology. 2017;8(11):1-6. DOI: 10.1186/s40543-017-0122-0
  27. 27. Lubbe A, Verpoorte R. Cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants for specialty industrial materials. Industrial Crops and Products. 2011;34:785-801. DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2011.01.019
  28. 28. Hussain AI, Anwar F, Nigam P, Ashraf M, Gilani A. Seasonal variation in content, chemical composition and antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of essential oils from four Mentha species. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 2010;90:1827-1836. DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.4021
  29. 29. Rohloff J, Dragland S, Mordal R, Iversen T. Effect of harvest time and drying method on biomass production, essential oil yield, and quality of peppermint (Mentha × piperita L.). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2005;53:4143-4148. DOI: 10.1021/jf047998s
  30. 30. Figueiredo AC, Barroso JG, Pedro LG, Scheffer JC. Factors affecting secondary metabolite production in plants: Volatile components and essential oils. Flavour and Fragrance Journal. 2008;23:213-226. DOI: 10.1002/ffj.1875
  31. 31. Soković MD, Vukojević J, Marin PD, Brkić DD, Vajs V, Van Griensven LJ. Chemical composition of essential oils of Thymus and Mentha species and their antifungal activities. Molecules. 2009;14(1):238-249
  32. 32. Saeed K, Pasha I, Bukhari H, Butt MS, Iftikhar T, Shujah-UdDin U. Compositional profiling of Mentha piperita. Pakistan Journal of Food Sciences. 2014;24(3):151-156
  33. 33. Alankar S. A review on peppermint oil. Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research. 2009;2(2):27-33
  34. 34. Behnam S, Farzaneh M, Ahmadzadeh M, Tehrani AS. Composition and antifungal activity of essential oils of Mentha piperita and Lavendula angustifolia on post-harvest phytopathogens. Communications in Agricultural and Applied Biological Sciences. 2005;71(3 Pt B):1321-1326
  35. 35. Başer K, Kürkçüoğlu M, Demirci B, Özek T, Tarımcılar G. Essential oils of Mentha species from Marmara region of Turkey. Journal of Essential Oil Research. 2012;24(3):265-272
  36. 36. Yasukawa K, Yamaguchi A, Arita J, Sakurai S, Ikeda A, Takido M. Inhibitory effect of edible plant extracts on 12-otetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced ear oedema in mice. Phytotherapy Research. 1993;7(2):185-189
  37. 37. Chouhan S, Sharma K, Guleria S. Antimicrobial activity of some essential oils—Present status and future perspectives. Medicines (Basel). 2017;4(3):58. DOI: 10.3390/medicines4030058
  38. 38. Singh P, Pandey AK. Prospective of essential oils of the genus Mentha as biopesticides: A review. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2018;9:1295. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01295
  39. 39. Ultee A, Bennik M, Moezelaar R. The phenolic hydroxyl group of carvacrol is essential for action against the foodborne pathogen Bacillus cereus. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 2002;68(4):1561-1568
  40. 40. Balouiri M, Sadiki M, Ibnsouda SK. Methods for in vitro evaluating antimicrobial activity: A review. Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis. 2016;6:71-79
  41. 41. Kubo I, Muroi H, Kubo A. Antibacterial activity of long chain alcohols against Streptococcus mutans. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 1983;41:2447-2450
  42. 42. Weis N. Zur Wirkweise von Terpenoiden auf den Energiestoffwechsel von Bakterien: Wirkung auf respiratorischen Elektronentransport und oxidative Phoshorylierung [dissertation]. Erlangen: Friedrich-Alexander Universitat; 1986
  43. 43. Budzyńska A, Wieckowska-Szakiel M, Kalemba D, Sadowska B, Rózalska B. The optimization of methods utilized for testing the antibacterial activity of essential oils. Medycyna Doświadczalna i Mikrobiologia. 2009;61(3):281-287
  44. 44. Remmal A, Bouchikhi B, Rhayour K, et al. Improved method for the determination of antimicrobial activity of essential oils in agar medium. Journal of Essential Oil Research. 1993;5:179-184
  45. 45. Hili P, Evans CS, Veness RG. Antimicrobial action of essential oils: The effect of dimethylsulphoxide on the activity of cinnamon oil. Letters in Applied Microbiology. 1997;24:269-275
  46. 46. Hammer KA, Carson CF, Riley TV. Influence of organic matter, cations and surfactants on the antimicrobial activity of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil in vitro. Journal of Applied Microbiology. 1999;86:446-452
  47. 47. Pauli A. Identification strategy of mechanism-based lipophilic antimicrobials. In: Zhu P, editor. New Biocides Development: The Combined Approach of Chemistry and Microbiology (ACS Symposium Series). Corby: Oxford University Press; 2017. pp. 213-268
  48. 48. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program Inspection Checklist. MIC–Microbiology; 2008
  49. 49. Zaidi S, Dahiya P. In vitro antimicrobial activity, phytochemical analysis and total phenolic content of essential oil from Mentha spicata and Mentha piperita. International Food Research Journal. 2015;22:2440-2445
  50. 50. Burt S. Essential oils: Their antibacterial properties and potential applications in food—A review. International Journal of Food Microbiology. 2006;94:223-253
  51. 51. Tullio V, Nostro A, Mandras N, Dugo P, Banche G, Cannatelli MA, et al. Antifungal activity of essential oils against filamentous fungi determined by broth microdilution and vapour contact methods. Journal of Applied Microbiology. 2007;102:1544-1550
  52. 52. Tyagi AK, Malik A. Antimicrobial action of essential oil vapours and negative air ions against Pseudomonas fluorescens. International Journal of Food Microbiology. 2010;143:205-210
  53. 53. Mondello F, Girolamo A, Scaturro M, Ricci ML. Determination of Legionella pneumophila susceptibility to Melaleuca alternifolia Cheel (tea tree) oil by an improved broth micro-dilution method under vapour controlled conditions. Journal of Microbiological Methods. 2009;77:243-248
  54. 54. Inouye S, Abe S, Yamaguchi H, Asakura M. Comparative study of antimicrobial and cytotoxic effects of selected essential oils by gaseous and solution contacts. International Journal of Aromatherapy. 2003;13:33-41
  55. 55. Botz L, Nagy L, Kocsis B. Detection of microbiologically active compounds. In: Nyiredy SZ, editor. Planar Chromatography, A Retrospective View for the Third Millennium. Budapest: Springer; 2001. pp. 489-516
  56. 56. Horváth G, Botz L, Kocsis B, Lemberkovics E, Szabó LG. Antimicrobial natural products and antibiotics detected by direct bioautography using plant pathogenic bacteria. Acta Botanica Hungarica. 2004;46:153
  57. 57. Quiroga EN, Sampietro DA, Sgariglia MA, Soberón JR, Vattuone MA. Antimycotic activity of 5’-prenylisoflavanones of the plant Geoffroea Decorticans, against Aspergillus species. International Journal of Food Microbiology. 2009;132:42
  58. 58. Moreno L, Bello R, Primo-Yufera E. Pharmacological properties of the methanol extract from Mentha uaveolens Ehrh. Phytotherapy Research. 2002;16:10-13
  59. 59. Iscan G, Kirimer N, Kurkcuoglu M, Baser KHC. Antimicrobial screening of Mentha piperita essential oils. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2002;50(14):3943-3946
  60. 60. Elsabee MZ, Abdou ES. Chitosan based edible films and coatings: A review. Materials Science and Engineering. 2013;33:1819-1841
  61. 61. Peng Y, Li Y. Combined effects of two kinds of essential oils on physical, mechanical and structural properties of chitosan films. Food Hydrocolloids. 2014;36:287-293
  62. 62. Akhter R, Masoodi FA, Wani TA, Rather SA. Functional characterization of biopolymer based composite film: Incorporation of natural essential oils and antimicrobial agents. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 2019;137:1245-1255
  63. 63. Scartazzini L, Tosati JV, Cortez DHC, Rossi MJ, Flôres SH, Hubinger MD, et al. Gelatin edible coatings with mint essential oil (Mentha arvensis): Film characterization and antifungal properties. Journal of Food Science and Technology. 2019;56(9):4045-4056. DOI: 10.1007/s13197-019-03873-9
  64. 64. Githaiga BM, Gathuru EM, Waithaka PN, Omondi GO. Antifungal effects of essential oils from mint and rosemary on peronospora destructor and Candida albicans. Mediterranean Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences. 2018;2(4):05-12
  65. 65. Aydın B, Barbas LAL. Sedative and anesthetic properties of essential oils and their active compounds in fish: A review. Aquaculture. 2020;520:734999

Written By

Monique Mancuso

Submitted: 05 April 2020 Reviewed: 08 April 2020 Published: 01 June 2020