Antimicrobial effects of Rosemary essential oil with potential use in the preservation of fresh fruits and vegetables

Different uses of Rosmarinus officinalis are known, and its volatile essential oil (EO) possess extensively investigated biologicalproperties, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, anticancer, antiviral, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, nephroprotective, antiulcer, and many others. The aim of our study was evaluating of antimicrobial activity ofR. officinalis essential oil in vapor phase on apples, pears, kohlrabi, and potatoes. Fruits and vegetables models were tested with Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, and yeasts. Together four bacterial strains (Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica, Yersinia enterocolitica, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus) and four yeasts (Candida albicans, C. glabrata,C. krusei, and C. tropicalis) were tested in situ analyses. The most effective influence has ROEO has the most effective influence on apples model against bacteria Enterococcus faecalis, and C. glabrata, on pears model Salmonella enterica and C. glabrata, onpotatoes Yersinia enterocolitica, and C. glabrata, and on kohlrabi model Y. enterocolitica, and C. albicans. The most effective in all food models was concentration 500 μL.L-1.