A study of the synergistic antilisterial effects of a sub-lethal dose of lactic acid and essential oils from Thymus vulgaris L., Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Origanum vulgare L.

Commercial essential oils of Thymus vulgaris L., Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Origanum vulgare L. were chemically characterized by GC, GC/MS analyses. The antilisterial activity of the oils, and the sub-lethal concentration of lactic acid were established by the agar-well diffusion method. The bactericidal kinetics of the diluted oils (50 ppm, 100 ppm, 200 ppm and 300 ppm) and their mixtures with 50 ppm of lactic acid were determined by optical density (OD600) measurements. The results suggest that a sub-lethal dose of lactic acid noticeably increased the antilisterial activity, especially of rosemary and thyme oils, but that the synergistic effects were reduced with higher concentrations of oils.