Antibacterial Effect of Effective Compounds of Satureja hortensis and Thymus vulgaris Essential Oils against Erwinia amylovora

Use of essential oils as pesticides or fungicides is safer than chemicals, but it requires plenty of the plant to be effective. Hence, finding the effective compounds of essential oils and their synthesis decreases the problem of preparing the natural compound. The antibacterial effect of Satureja hortensis L., Thymus vulgaris L. essential oils, and their major constituents were determined using the disc diffusion method. These essential oils prevented Erwinia amylovora growth (that causes fire blight disease). The essential oils were fractionated using preparative column chromatography (Silica column) and all fractions were tested for their antibacterial activities on this bacterium. Effective fractions were analyzed by GC-MS. Results showed that carvacrol is the effective compound in Satureja hortensis essential oil and has strong antibacterial effect. The effective compounds in Thymus vulgaris essential oil are thymol and carvacrol. Thymol and carvacrol showed a strong antibacterial effect against E. amylovora in the disc diffusion method. These compounds prevented the growth of E. amylovora in sucrose and nutrient agar media.