Combined Essential Oils As Antimicrobial Agents

Lipids and essential oils have strong antimicrobial properties — they kill or inhibit the growth of microbes such as bacteria, fungi, or viruses. They are being studied for use in the prevention and treatment of infections, as potential disinfectants, and for their preservative and antimicrobial properties when formulated as pharmaceuticals, in food products, and in cosmetics. Lipids and Essential Oils as Antimicrobial Agents is a comprehensive review of the scientific knowledge in this field. International experts provide summaries on: the chemical and biological properties of lipids and essential oils use of lipids and essential oils in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and health foods antimicrobial effects of lipids in vivo and in vitro antimicrobial lipids in milk antimicrobial lipids of the skin antibacterial lipids as sanitizers and disinfectants antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activities of essential oils antimicrobial lipids in milk antimicrobial lipids of the skin antibacterial lipids as sanitizers and disinfectants antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activities of essential oils Lipids and Essential Oils as Antimicrobial Agents is an essential guide to this important topic for researchers and advanced students in academia and research working in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food sciences, biochemistry and natural products chemistry, microbiology; and for health care scientists and professionals working in the fields of public health and infectious diseases. It will also be of interest to anyone concerned about health issues and particularly to those who are conscious of the benefits of health food and natural products.

Fighting Multidrug Resistance with Herbal Extracts, Essential Oils and their Components offers scientists a single source aimed at fighting specific multidrug-resistant (MDR) microorganisms such as bacteria, protozoans, viruses and fungi using natural products. This essential reference discusses herbal extracts and essential oils used or under investigation to treat MDR infections, as well as those containing antimicrobial activity that could be of potential interest in future studies against MDR microorganisms. The need to combat multidrug-resistant microorganisms is an urgent one and this book provides important coverage of mechanism of action, the advantages and disadvantages of using herbal extracts, essential oils and their components and more to aid researchers in effective antimicrobial drug discovery Addresses the need to develop safe and effective approaches to coping with resistance to all classes of antimicrobial drugs Provides readers with current evidence-based content aimed at using herbal extracts and essential oils in antimicrobial drug development Includes chapters devoted to the activity of herbal products against herpes, AIDS, tuberculosis, drug-resistant cancer cells and more

Perishable products such as fruits and vegetables account for the largest proportion of food loss due to their short shelf life, especially in the absence of proper storage facilities, which requires sustainable, universal and convenient preservation technology. The existing methods to prolong the shelf life of food mainly include adding preservatives, irradiation, cold storage, heat treatment and controlled atmosphere storage. But with disadvantages in irradiation, cold storage, heat treatment and controlled atmosphere storage, chemical synthetic preservatives are still the main means to control food corruption. As the food industry responds to the increasing consumer demand for green, safe and sustainable products, it is reformulating new products to replace chemical synthetic food additives. Essential Oils as Antimicrobial Agents in Food Preservation provides a comprehensive introduction to the antimicrobial activity of plant essential oils and their application strategies in food preservation. It is aimed at food microbiology experts, food preservation experts, food safety experts, food technicians and students. Features: Summarizes the application strategy and safety of essential oil in the field of food preservation Describes the synergistic antibacterial effect of essential oil and antimicrobial agents Explains the action mechanism of essential oil as antimicrobial agent against foodborne fungi, foodborne bacteria, viruses and insects Analyzes the antimicrobial activity of essential oil in gas phase The book discusses how as a natural antimicrobial and antioxidant, essential oil has great potential to be used in the food industry to combat the growth of foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms. But because the essential oil itself has obvious smell and is sensitive to light and heat, it cannot be directly added to the food matrix and thus the application strategies presented in this book explain how to alleviate those issues.

Documenting the latest research in the field of different pathogenic organisms, this book presents the current scenario about promising antimicrobials in the following areas: Part I. Plants as source of antibacterials, Part II. Naturally occurring antifungal natural products, Part III. Antiparasitic natural products, Part IV. Antiviral natural products. Renowned scientists from the globe have been selected as authors to contribute chapters. Use of plants for various ailments is as old as human civilization and continuous efforts are being made to improve medicinal plants or to product their bioactive secondary metabolites in high amounts through various technologies. About 200,000 natural products of plant origin are known and many more are being identified from higher plants and micro-organisms. Some plants based drugs are used since centuries and there is no alternative medicine for many such drugs as cardiac glycosides. Drug discovery from medicinal plants or marine micro-organisms continues to provide an important source of new drug leads. Research on new antibacterials represents a real and timely challenge of this century, particularly for the treatment of infections caused by clinical isolates that show multidrug resistance. The main microorganisms involved in the resistance process have been identified and given the acronym ESKAPE for Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumanii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacteriaceae. Multidrug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis including highly drug-resistant strains (XDR-TB) has also emerged as one of the most important clinical challenges of this century. Plants of diverse taxa and marine micro-organisms are rich source of these antimicrobials. An attempt has been made to compile the recent information about natural sources of antibacterials and their sustainable utilization. Increased panic of these pathogens warrants a growing demand for research to undertake the threat of multidrug resistance. The search for new antifungal, antiparasitic and antiviral natural products is far from devoid of interest. According to the WHO report in 2013, malaria still represents some 207 million cases worldwide and more than 3 billion of people are still exposed to this risk. Similarly, about 350 million people are considered at risk of contracting leishmaniasis. The fight against some viruses also requires that the research on natural products continue. For example, even if an antiretroviral with direct action was recently approved in Europe in 2013, its high cost does not allow to offer it to an exposed population in countries where the cost of drugs remains a problem for a large part of the population. These books are useful to researchers and students in microbiology, biotechnology, pharmacology, chemistry and biology as well as medical professionals.

High prevalence of multidrug-resistant microorganisms in the etiologic structure of different infectious processes significantly decreases the effectiveness of the treatment and enhances the probability of an unfavorable outcome from the infection. Combinations between antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents represent one of the most promising approaches for combating multidrug-resistant bacteria. A high therapeutic potential exists for combinations of antibiotics and natural antimicrobial substances with complex mechanisms of action and multiple healing properties, such as plant essential oils. The purpose of the present chapter is to review published studies on antibiotic-essential oil combinations and discuss the prospects for future studies. In general, many studies have shown the potential for essential oils to act synergistically with antibiotics in vitro. The main proposed mechanism of this beneficial effect is through inhibition of efflux pumps by some essential oils, which restores the activity of the antibiotic. Future efforts should be directed into further studies of antibiotic-essential oil combinations against multidrug-resistant bacteria, with an emphasis on understanding the mechanisms of the produced effect. Combinations of essential oils with different types of antimicrobial agents, such as bacteriophages, nanoparticles, and quorum-sensing inhibitors, require greater attention and are worthy of future investigations.

The clinical microbiology laboratory is often a sentinel for the detection of drug resistant strains of microorganisms. Standardized protocols require continual scrutiny to detect emerging phenotypic resistance patterns. The timely notification of clinicians with susceptibility results can initiate the alteration of antimicrobial chemotherapy and

A guide to the use of essential oils in food, including information on their composition, extraction methods, and their antioxidant and antimicrobial applications Consumers’ food preferences are moving away from synthetic additives and preservatives and there is an increase demand for convenient packaged foods with long shelf lives. The use of essential oils fills the need for more natural preservativesto extend the shelf-life and maintaining the safety of foods. Essential Oils in Food Processing offers researchers in food science a guide to the chemistry, safety and applications of these easily accessible and eco-friendly substances. The text offers a review of essential oils components, history, source and their application in foods and explores common and new extraction methods of essential oils from herbs and spices. The authors show how to determine the chemical composition of essential oils as well as an explanation of the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of these oils in foods. This resource also delves into the effect of essential oils on food flavor and explores the interaction of essential oils and food components. Essential Oils in Food Processing offers a: Handbook of the use of essential oils in food, including their composition, extraction methods and their antioxidant and antimicrobial applications Guide that shows how essential oils can be used to extend the shelf life of food products whilst meeting consumer demand for “natural” products Review of the use of essential oils as natural flavour ingredients Summary of relevant food regulations as pertaining to essential oils Academic researchers in food science, R&D scientists, and educators and advanced students in food science and nutrition can tap into the most recent findings and basic understanding of the chemistry, application, and safe us of essential oils in food processing.

The world is full of plants and animals that have their own defenses, producing various substances in their daily fight against bacteria, fungi, or other agents. These products are alternatives to conventional antimicrobials that have a poor reputation with consumers. Many of these compounds are well known; however, the multiple types of structures together with the variable responses depending of the type of biocontrol needed in a wide range of applications, such as clinical, agricultural, general hygiene, and food, necessitates the continuous search for specific applications and the continuous study of how to use these substances. The present book provides a summary of reviews and original research works that explore the multiple alternatives for the use of these compounds.

Essential oils were used globally as a folk medicine for the treatment of a number of diseases because of the high content of natural compounds. Therefore, this book looks at research topics dealing with isolation, purification, and identification of active ingredients of essential oils from plants. This knowledge will provide significant information about essential oils to researchers and others interested in the field.