Saeed Sadigh Eteghad  , Hamid Mirzaei  , Saeed Farzam Pour  , Saeed Kahnamui  , 
    Inhibitory Effects of Endemic <I>Thymus vulgaris </I>and<I> Mentha piperita </I>Essential Oils on <I>Escherichia coli</I> O157:H7,
    Research Journal of Biological Sciences,
    Volume 4,Issue 3,
    2009,
    Pages 340-344,
    ISSN 1815-8846,
    rjbsci.2009.340.344,
    (https://makhillpublications.co/view-article.php?doi=rjbsci.2009.340.344)
    Abstract: The present study, was conducted to evaluate <I>in vitro</I> antibacterial properties of Essential Oil (EO) from endemic plants, thyme (<I>Thymus vulgaris</I>) and mint (<I>Mentha piperita</I>) ageist <I>Escherichia coli</I> O157:H7. Antibacterial screening was done by Disk Diffusion (DD), Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericide Concentration (MBC) methods. About 3.9 And 7.8 μg mL<SUP>-1</SUP>concentrations of thyme EO were required in order to achieving the MIC and MBC. These indexes for mint EO was 15.6 and 31.2 μg mL<SUP>-1</SUP>in <I>E. coli </I>O157:H7. In DD assay (500 μg disk<SUP>-1</SUP> concentration) thyme and mint were shown 35±1.4 and 13±1.5 mm inhibition zone. The chemical composition of hydro distilled EOs of thyme and mint was analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). A total of 36 compounds of thyme and 23 compounds of mint, representing 93.62 and 90.69% of the oils were identified: Thymol (18.12%), Carvacrol (12.11%), p-Cymene (15.12%) in thyme and α-Terpinene (20.11%), Pipertitinone oxaide (17.10%) and <I>trans</I>-Carveol (19.48%) in mint, were the main components of the oils. Results here show that the EOs of thyme and mint possess antibacterial activity and therefore, it could be used as a natural preservative ingredient in food and/or pharmaceutical industries against<I> E.coli</I> O157:H7.
    Keywords: Thymus vulgaris;Mentha piperita;Escherichia coli;O157:H7;GC/MS